Jack Barton, The Ranger's Apprentice
by FireRanger101
Summary: A little boy who never truly knew what love was is brought to a seemingly medieval world. In it, there is a group of people known as rangers. He becomes an apprentice to one of them and learns what it is like to be a part of a family. I rated it T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1 Memories

**I have decided to revise this chapter due to its being very, well, umm... Heart-wrenchingly awful and small. When I reread it, I noticed that it was very unclear at some points so I added some bits and pieces to help. Hope it seems better!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. However, thankfully, I do own Jack! So I get to keep the little munchkin all to myself! So no stealing, or else I'll send his uncle after you. **

* * *

Jack could not wait until his uncle got here. He had been anticipating this moment for months! It was just about the only thing in his life that he could look forward to because there really wasn't anything else that was exciting enough for him to do so. One of the true reasons why he loved it when his uncle came over was because of the simple fact that he felt like he was truly family. He was also the only person in Jack's life that treated him like an actual human being.

But, that didn't really count for that much. When he thought about it, the only person he did know besides Uncle Clint was of course, his dad.

He wasn't allowed to call him that though. No, to _him_ he was just the little boy that lived in the same apartment that he does and that cleans the whole place for him. The kid, who was now eleven years old, that had learned to stay a good distance away from him at all times because he had started to become a very depressed-looking person.

The thing that was really confusing the poor boy was that, well, it appeared that the guy hated his entire being. It didn't seem like there was a real reason as to why, in Jack's own mind he saw himself as being a pretty well behaved kid. But at the same time, he didn't really know how a well behaved kid acted. He also couldn't really compare himself to other children, unless they were of course on TV.

The boy didn't really have a life outside of the apartment. He had never gone to school in the entire amount of time that he had existed, which to him was very saddening. He could still read and write, but that was because a certain generous relative of his had helped him to learn. That same person had also on different occasions brought with him some books that he was able to practice with whenever he wanted to. So, he had never really worried about not being educated. But this whole having never been able to go to school meant that he didn't have any friends or even ever really _saw_ someone that was his own age who he had actually got to talk to. It had really become a very lonely experience that was really starting to have an impact on his poor heart.

But back to the topic at hand. He really had no idea for the purpose of why his own father seemed to despise every fiber in his body. That is, until he had decided to eaves drop on a conversation during one fateful day only a little while ago.

Two months ago, his uncle had come to visit. After a long day of him and his nephew watching Robin Hood movies that he had brought over with him, he had tucked Jack into his small, rickety bed. Then he had gone to _his _room to "discuss something that had been on his mind."

After the sounds of footsteps had receded and he picked up the squeaking of the bedroom door closing, echoing in the confines of the small two bedroom-apartment, the boy's curiosity got the better of him. So he had quickly scrambled out of the bed, trying his very hardest to not be heard, and went over to the wall that separated his and that _man's_ room. He pressed his ear against it and quietly waited.

At first he could only make out the faint sounds of their voices, and it appeared that they were arguing. Then suddenly, it was as if something had snapped in his uncle because his voice rose dramatically to a much higher volume that the boy could now very easily make out the words to.

"WHEN WILL IT GET THROUGH YOUR HEAD MARCUS!" Uncle Clint shouted at the top of his lungs. "I DON'T CARE THAT YOU THINK THAT HE IS THE REASON THAT ELLIS IS DEAD!"

_Ellis?_ _Who's Ellis? _Jack thought to himself. It sounded like a very familiar name. He mulled it over, trying to think of one of the few people that he knew, and narrowed it down further to the only girls. Well not physically, but by their name. He had never actually met anyone, just found out about them because of seeing them in an album or something like that. Maybe this 'Ellis' was the name of an aunt or maybe-

But then, he remembered. The realization caused him to quickly seize up. He remembered who that name belonged to. _Ellis_. Ellis Barton. That was the name of his own mother. The person, who he was told by Uncle Clint, had died in a car crash on the way home from the hospital on the day that he was born.

Dad had never said a word about her in his entire life, at least as far back as he could remember. A few years back Jack had gotten up enough courage to finally ask the question that had plaguing his mind for some time about what his mother was like, but he had immediately regretted it after the words had come out his mouth. His dad's eyes seemed to begin to get the same foggy look that they did after he had a long night of doing the thing he had been doing usually, staying up to very late hours consumed by darkness, simply sitting in the couch or chair and looking straight ahead, transfixed on whatever the thing that he was thinking about.

But there was something about the look that he had accompanied with his eyes this time that warned Jack of very immediate danger, that would probably be directed at him.

The man had shot straight up from the couch and started scolding the boy for asking him such a thing and for having had talked to him without permission to do so. Jack had than preceded to run straight into his room and slammed the door close. Then he had hid under his quilt in fear.

After that, Jack had never again asked anything that even remotely involved her, not even to his uncle. He was worried that if he did ask, it would somehow get to his father's ears and he would be angry at him again.

Quickly he got back to his eaves dropping so that he would be able to hear the rest of the conversation. He wondered who Uncle Clint had meant when he had said "You think 'he' is the reason that Ellis is dead?" Whoever this person was, he seemed to have been a part of his mother's death in someway. Perhaps that might be the reason that his father was always angry? Because this person had somehow gotten away with Ellis's death and he was now always thinking about that fact?

He realized he might be able to get the answer to who the person was if he continued to listen, so he put his ear back to its position on the wall.

"Marcus, you have got to listen to me!" Well, it sounded like his uncle's voice had gotten softer. Perhaps he was trying to reason with the guy now? "Look, no matter how he had been a part of it that kid is your son, alright!?" Clint ranted. "You can't act like it was solely Jack's own doing! When will I be able to get the fact that it was her decision-

What had he just said? He had said 'Jack.' He had distinctly said '**Jack**.' As in, his very own name.

What? He began to feel a bit dizzy after hearing his name spoken. _So I'm to blame for my own mother's _death_? _He couldn't hear anything anymore and his vision was beginning to go out of focus of his surroundings. Well, he had gotten the answer to one of the many questions that he had been asking himself for years.

His father despised him because somehow, it was _his fault_ his own mother was dead. The reason why he was always either treated like garbage or nothing at all for every day of his life. But how? How had he been a part of it?!

_Does it actually matter how? _No matter the reason, it was still apparently his fault.

He just sat there next to the wall. He felt like he was empty, hollow and completely lifeless inside with the realization starting to ebb into him.

He ever so slowly stood up, not really knowing why he was. His legs felt like they were made out of led. He trudged over to his bed and collapsed on top of the old mattress. Slowly he pulled the itchy quilt that was his only blanket up and over himself robotically, not even really realizing that he was doing so.

Underneath the shield that he had created was a miserable sight indeed. After a minute had passed of him simply lying there motionless, the true gravity of the words that he had heard felt like a pile of rocks that had gotten stuck in his stomach and were now weighing him down. It was giving him a horrid feeling inside. The young boy began to clutch to his pillow as if it was for dear life. In truth, that was what it appeared to be to him.

Jack felt like he had cracked. The pillow seemed like the only link he had to life at that moment. It was himself who had caused all of the misery that he was experiencing in his life. The mother who he had always thought and dreamt of being one of the people to actually love him was killed somehow by his own doing. That in turn had also caused his father to hate him.

The entire time that he was desperately clutching on, his face was stuffed into that pillow in an attempt to stifle the sobs that were coming out. After all, he didn't want to make _him_ angry with any loud noises.

* * *

"BOY, ANSWER THE DOOR!"

Jack snapped out of the memory when he heard his father's harsh yell that had been directed at him. Then after a quick second of processing what he had been told, he excitedly sprinted over to the door. All of the sadness that had come from the memories that he had been thinking over quickly dissipated and was replaced by pure joy.

It had to be his uncle! It wasn't like anyone else ever came over! He was so glad his uncle was finally here, he probably had so many different things planned for them to do for the day!

He stood on his tip-toes to look through the small peephole. He saw his uncle's spiky dark brown hair and he had a smirk on his face that seemed to be because of something funny that he was currently thinking about. As he looked at his uncle, it seemed as if he could tell that Jack was looking right at him, even with the door dividing them.

Jack silently laughed to himself inside. Well, of course he knew he was looking at him. He HAD to be only _the_ most observant person in the entire world! Why else would he be called 'Hawkeye' at work?

He unlocked the door and swung it wide open. These were the days that he always craved. They were the only reason why he felt the need to put up with his life at home and continue living with at least some happiness for the what was to come in the future. It was because of that amazing guy who would take time off from his supposedly very important job(The one of which he was still keeping what exactly it was from the boy, even with all his nagging questions), just to spend time with him and to make sure that he was still doing alright. The person that seemed like a real life superhero to Jack.

His uncle, Clint Barton.


	2. Chapter 2 Arrival

**Well, here is the second chapter! Man, I got it done fast (Which explains why it's so short!) Anyway, if your wondering how this can possibly be a crossover with Ranger's Apprentice, just be patient. It will happen soon, maybe after a couple more chapters.**

**Disclaimer: **

**Jack: H-hello, miss FireRanger101 does n-not own Avengers or Ranger's Apprentice (Runs and retreats behind Clint)**

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**Clint's POV**

Clint didn't know what to do about his older brother Marcus. He knew how crazy in love he had been with Ellis, but to treat his own son like vermin because he unknowingly had something to do with her death?

The archer had decided, ever since his little nephew was born, that he would take care of him. He didn't really have a choice in the matter though. Right before the boy's mother had left them she had asked Clint to protect him, being the man that he was. Well, more like ordered him.

She was one of the people who knew what his _job_ was. But she didn't see him as a hired assassin or spy. No matter how many times he told her that he was dangerous, she never believed him. She would just look at him with an exasperated look that seemed to say "Clint, why are you still trying to tell me that, stop lying to yourself."

The only thing she saw in him was an amazing future uncle to her little boy, which would give his life to save his without hesitation if the need ever arose. If she was still there too, she wouldn't have let him of course. She would have made sure both members of her family would get through something.

_Though, she won't be able to now_, he thought wryly to himself.

He walked up the flight of steel stairs that led to his brother's apartment. The place really seemed more like a run-down inn than an apartment complex. The stairs were located outside of the building and with every step he took, it seemed like they would just totally collapse from under his feet.

He proceeded to the door of his brother's home on the third floor, and then gave a quick couple of knocks on it. After a few seconds of patiently tapping his foot on the ground like a maniac he knocked again, this time just a _little_ louder.

He heard a shout from inside and knew it belonged to Marcus. The man was probably yelling at Jack to open the door for him so he wouldn't have to get his bum off the couch.

He heard some footsteps make their way towards the door and than stopped right beside it. Clint smirked; Jack was probably looking right at him at that moment.

The locks clicked out of place and the door swung open. And there standing in the doorway was his little golden haired nephew with his bright, electric blue eyes giddily smiling at him.

"Hey kid, how have you been?" Clint asked the now-hopping boy. He walked inside, kneeled to Jack's height and gave him a suffocating hug.

"_I-I'm fine, o-or I will be wh-when you stop sq-squeezing me_," Jack managed to choke out over his uncle's shoulder.

He released Jack and got to his feet. Woops, he forgot he had started to increase his workout regimen. The archer looked the boy over with a perceiving eye.

_He doesn't look too bad this visit; he must have been able to sneak some more food during the night after I gave him those stealth lessons. _

The only thing that stood out as unhealthy on the kid was his thinness. He used to look worse though, way worse. Clint used to be able to see his ribs through the holes of that black t-shirt he always wore.

Clint being an agent of shield and all meant that he wasn't exactly able to just take time-off from his job that normal people could. So his visits were usually short and far in-between. It seemed as if every time he came back from a mission, Jack looked even worse than when he had left him the time before.

At first, Jack hadn't had many options on how to survive through life. Clint than had decided that enough was enough and started to train the than nine year old. He taught him how to defend himself with not only some forms of weapons, but also some types of combat techniques, for just in case he ever got into a situation while Clint wasn't there that called for it. Than he had shown him how to blend into his surroundings and use every small space to his advantage (There tended to be lots of junk in the apartment that never got cleaned up, so there were lots of items that they were able to use for practice).

During one of his most recent visits, he had shown the eager-to-learn-how-to-survive-my-day-to-day-life-with-gusto boy how to be almost ninja-level stealthy with some of his own personally used and learned moves and techniques. If Clint was able to downright admit it, than he would have said that Jack was a natural protégé in the field of stealth.

It was as if he could bend every shadow to his will. Whenever he stood completely still, it seemed as if he had just disappeared. He could now walk and run without being heard. Well, to most people that is. Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye could still hear him from a good distance away. But that was just because Clint was trained to detect the smallest noise.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

Man, did Jack hurt. He could definitely tell that Uncle Clint had buffed out his arms more. That or he had gotten scrawnier since the last hug Clint had given him.

"So Uncle Clint, what are we doing today? Do you have any plans? Ooh ooh, did you bring more Robin Hood movies!?" Jack questioned him excitedly. For some reason, he just loooved watching archers. Even though he could tell they were completely fake in the movies, they were still really fascinating to him to watch.

"Oh no, I've got something much bigger planned for today for my little nephew," The man replied with a glint in his eye, suggesting that it would be a surprise no matter what Jack tried to do. "So I would go and put on my socks and shoes if I were you, as quickly as possible."

* * *

**Nobody's POV**

They both climbed into Clint's black Mercedes Benz. After they left the city limits, they started to travel down a long, straight highway that was flanked by trees. There seemed to be very little cars, only a couple of semi-trucks, RVs and the occasional minivan passed them.

"So, Uncle Clint, what did you have to do for work?" Jack asked with an innocent voice and smile. He tried to make it seem as if he was just trying to start a conversation during the boring car drive, when his real motive was trying to find out what his uncle's real "Top Secret" job was.

_Yeesh, he sure is trying to get information rather quickly this time, isn't he?_ "Just the usual. I had to travel a little ways to find someone that my boss had recently done some business with. After I found him, I just gave him a push towards the right direction for his type of work." Clint replied casually, as if his secret job was of no real importance.

_Darn it, that doesn't sound like a big deal. Well, at least he gave me some openings for more questions. I might be able to found out something about his job this time!_

"Well, where did you go to find him?" The boy asked with a hint of excitement in the back of his voice.

_Hmmp. So you think you can get something worthwhile out of me with that question, my little nephew? You are mistaken. _

"Boston."

"Boston?" Jack repeated the word with saddened surprise.

"Yes Jack, Boston. What, did you expect somewhere else?" The man looked over at the down-cast boy, who was now looking out of the car window with his shoulders slumped.

When he asked the question, Jack's head jerked up and met his gaze, but quickly drifted to his hands in his lap.

"Not really, I was just thinking that it might be somewhere more exciting." He said after some slight hesitation.

"Ahh, I see." Was the simple response. Clint was a little relieved that Jack had bought it so easily. While it was true that he had gone to Boston, it wasn't exactly for such the boring reason that he had said. Although, what he said was true…

After that short conversation ended, the car fell back into a comfortable silence. Only the occasional cough or yawn broke it.

A couple of sharp turns later (Clint purposely did them a little too sharply to try to make the boy laugh, which of course worked) the car ended up driving down a narrow dirt road that was surrounded by pine trees.

After a few minutes of cruising down the road, it opened up into a clearing. There was a large parking lot that was made out of trampled grass that was almost completely full.

Jack was about to look around the area, when all of a sudden a hand shot up into his field of vision, then covered his face.

He gave a strangled yelp from the shock of it. "Hey! Uncle Clint-

"Remember, it's a surprise my little nephew. Now stop scrambling around so I can drive."

Jack obediently stopped moving. Even though he was a little disappointed that he couldn't see, it made the surprise five times better to him with the suspense and all.

The car slowed to a stop and Clint removed his hand from Jack's face. "Alright, let's go."

Jack nearly fell because he got out of the car so quickly. He went to his uncle's side and held his hand. When he saw what was in front of him, he gasped. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, so he rubbed his eyes with his own free hand. Even though nothing changed, he was still thinking that the sight before him couldn't possibly be real.

"Well, come on. Let's not just stand here staring at it." Clint said as he pulled Jack along towards the castle.

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**Oh the suspense! Whose castle is it? Why is there a parking lot? Find out in the next chapter! (If I can figure out what to put in it). **


	3. Chapter 3 Bonding

**Here is chapter 3! Remember from the end of the last chapter, there was a 'castle.' Well, now you will be able to see (Or rather, read) what that castle is. So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. It would be mayhem if I did. **

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Jack was dragged along by his hand towards the castle. It really was quite a sight; the castle was probably at least 100 ft high! It was made out of round, grey stones that were as big as he was. There was a tower on top of each of the four corners. Each one had a deep purple flag on the top.

The entrance was a _huge_ archway that looked like it was supposed to have a drawbridge. When they made their way under the massive doorway, Jack had to arch his head all the way back just to see it.

When they entered, there was a small, bright yellow booth to the side. Clint let go of the boy's hand then strode over to the booth. On the way, he pulled out two slips of paper from his back pocket.

Jack tagged along behind him, not wanting to leave the man's side. As he got closer, he saw the person who was inside of the booth. And when he did, he wanted to just outright laugh.

The man looked to be in his early 40's. He was a little pot-bellied and his nose and ears were gigantic. But that wasn't the part that Jack wanted to laugh at, no it was the fact that the man was dressed like a medieval clown.

He wore an orange and green striped shirt-thingy with matching pants and a green hat that had five floppy spikes coming out of it. At the end of each spike was a little bell that jingled with the slightest movement.

He didn't want to be impolite though, so he kept the laughter to himself as he stopped at the front of the booth alongside Uncle Clint.

"Tickets please," the jester said in a drawling voice. Clint could tell that the man was quite unaffected considering his situation; he must have been doing it for a while and was familiar with all the looks he got.

"Here you are sir." Clint handed over the tickets to the man and started to make his way towards the carnival. He quickly glanced behind to make sure the kid was with him.

Jack once again hurried to keep up with his uncle and looked up at him with a huge smile plastered onto his face. This had to be one of the best days in his life.

Clint looked down and snickered at the look his nephew was giving him. _Well, mission accomplished. The kid looks like he's about to explode with happiness._

He always loved that moment when Jack had a smile on his face. Sometimes the ninja-like archer would go to the apartment to checkup on him without the boy knowing about it. Every time he looked through one of the windows, he would see a depressingly haunted face.

He would make sure during every one of his visits (the ones that Jack knew about) that there was only happiness in his features.

"So Jack, today is all yours. Pick whatever you want to do, no one's gonna hold you back."

When Jack heard those words, he got a very weird feeling inside. _Me? Do whatever I want to?_ The very idea was too much for him. He just stopped with a shocked expression removing that wonderful smile on his face, mouth agape.

Clint halted when he noticed that Jack had stopped. He looked at him and saw the expression. _Oops, I think I broke him by saying that. I've got to remember to take things slow when it comes down to letting him make decisions. _

He reached over and grabbed Jack's shoulder, then looked down at him calmly.

"How about we get something to eat first, ay?" Clint said in a reassuring tone.

"Y-yeah, that sou-sounds good," Jack said, getting over the shock with the idea that someone else was in control once again.

They went towards the left side of the fair, where all of the food booths and stalls were located. As they made their way closer, a mass of smells greeted their noses.

Jack inhaled deeply. His mouth started to water and his stomach growled like a starved beast. The only food he was used to was PB + J sandwiches and sometimes, if he was lucky, a slice of old pizza.

They ended up getting turkey legs, foot-long corndogs, bread roles and a bottle of root beer each (emphasize on the _root_, not normal beer). They brought their spoils over to a nearby picnic-table.

"Thanks a bunch Uncle Clint, it looks amazing!" Jack said with his eyes on the food. He wanted to dig right in, but he knew he still had to use manners and thank him.

Luckily for him, Clint got the hint. "Yeah well, it's not like I cooked it. Now just hurry up and start eating already."

And that they did. There was no conversation, just the sounds of 'mmmms' and 'ahhhhs' coming from the happy diners.

After they finished and drank the rest of their _root _beer, they stood up with some groans of protest.

"That, was delicious." Jack commented. It had been a long time since he had felt full before. Then a burp escaped his lips.

His face turned red with embarrassment. "_S'cuse me."_

Clint couldn't hear the apology; it wasn't because Jack had said it so quietly. It was because he couldn't catch it over the sound of his own chuckles.

"Hmp, hmp, hmp." He put his hand to his mouth to try to contain it. He regained control over himself when he saw that Jack was starting to cringe from being laughed at.

"S-sorry Jack, I couldn't help it." He put his arm across Jack's shoulders and pulled him up against his side. "Let us go and see what there is to do."

The boy looked up at him when he heard that statement. The way Clint had said it sounded so weird. "Alright, let us go then!" Jack said with a laugh and that huge smile lit up his face once again.

_Awe man, Thor's dorky language is starting to get to me. _

They went towards all the different forms of entertainment, Clint's arm still on Jack's shoulders.

"Hey Uncle Clint, what's that?" Jack pointed towards a circular wooden building that had no roof.

"Let's go and see." They went towards the entrance and ended up in a crowded stadium. There were bleachers that were also made out of wood lining the whole inside of the building.

The area in the middle was nothing but dirt. There was a long, elevated pole that cut through almost the entire middle of the arena.

The pair found some seats near the bottom where they would be able to see whatever the show was.

A man entered through a door to their left. From what Jack could make out, he wore a dark purple tunic with brown tights. He had on a hat that was a purple just a shade lighter than his long shirt. It had a white feather coming out of its top.

"WELCOME ALL TO TODAY'S PERFORMANCE!" He yelled into the microphone that was attached to his face. The sound of his voice echoed throughout the stadium.

"BEFORE THE JOUSTING TOURNAMENT BEGINS, I HAVE A LITTLE SHOW THAT I AM GOING TO DO FOR YOU!"

"Jousting? We're going to watch a real jousting match?!" Jack said enthusiastically, all the scenes from the movies playing in his head.

"Only if you want to," Clint replied nonchalantly.

"Yes, yes yes! Can we stay and watch pleeasssssee?!" He was now nearly bouncing up and down on the seat.

Clint _really_ didn't want to gain attention from the people around them because of the over-excited boy, so he tried to calm him down.

"Alright, alright, of course. Just stop bouncing or else you might fall off the seat."

"Thanks Uncle Clint!" Jack launched his arms towards the man and hugged him around the middle.

After hesitating slightly, Clint wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him back. He didn't know it, but the women behind them were having a fit because of all the cuteness they were witnessing.

After a couple of seconds, Clint released him. "Let's get back to the show huh?"

"Yes!" Jack whipped his head towards the direction of the man.

"LET'S BEGIN!" There was a simultaneous chorus of clapping and cheers from the audience when they heard that it was going to finally start. Unlike Clint and Jack who managed to get there just in time for it, they had all been waiting impatiently for almost an hour now.

All of a sudden, a weird noise was heard in the distance by most of the people. Then it came again, but this time more pronounced. It drew all the heads skyward to see what it belonged to.

Then, everyone could hear the distinct sound of a "CAWWW!" After that the owner of the sound flew directly above them. A brown streak began to dive towards the man in the center in the arena. There were gasps heard from the spectators.

In a split second, the streak stopped. Jack could just manage to see that it was because of what looked like wings being spread open. It was then that everyone was able to see what the creature was. It turned out to be a large, brown bird that was now slowly spiraling downwards towards the man, who now had his right arm out-stretched.

"Wowww. Uncle Clint, what kind of bird is that?" Jack asked, his eyes following the bird's movements.

"Hmm, from the looks of it, that's a hawk. And I have to say, hawks are probably one of the most ferocious yet handsome animals that have ever existed." Clint said matter of-factly.

Jack glanced over at him when he heard that, but then his attention was once again drawn to the hawk. "Uncle Clint, are you just saying that because the people at your job call you 'Hawkeye?"

The archer scoffed. "Of course not, they really are. Just look at you, your eyes haven't left it from the moment you saw it."

"Touché." was the only reply.

The hawk then landed on the make shift perch that was the man's arm. "THIS IS A RED-TAILED HAWK. THEY ARE USED IN DIFFERENT LANDS FOR A SPORT CALLED FALCONRY. FALCONRY IS WHEN A HUNTER WILL USE A TYPE OF BIRD, SUCH AS A HAWK OR FALCON, TO RETRIEVE OR CATCH PREY."

The falconer seemed to just ramble on about all these different facts about falconry, how they train the birds, and other types of birds that they use for it.

Jack started to just tune him out, his focus completely drawn to the hawk. On closer inspection, he saw that it wasn't just all one color. Its wings, head, and back were all brown. But its chest and legs were a white-ish color that had speckles of brown mixed in. And, true to its name, its tail had a reddish hue to it.

What really drew Jack's curiosity were its eyes. They were constantly looking around. It was as if they saw something, took in every detail from it, and then moved on somewhere else.

On a couple of occasions, it seemed to have looked right at him. The eyes were a piercing tan-brown color that made him think it was looking right through him.

But before he knew it, the man started to walk towards where he had entered, the hawk in tow.

"Hey, what happened?" Jack asked sadly, watching the bird until it disappeared from view behind the door.

"Weren't you paying attention? The jousting is going to start now."

"Oh. Already?"

"What do you mean already? That guy was telling every single little thing about that falconry twice for almost an hour now!" Clint said, annoyed because he already knew everything the man had said. Why should he have to sit and listen to someone just repeat what he already knew?

"Well, it sure was cool seeing the hawk though, right?" Jack said in an attempt to raise his uncle's spirits.

Clint saw what he was doing, and felt guilty. He had brought his nephew here to try to cheer _him_ up because of all the things he had to go through everyday. The boy shouldn't have to be using the limited time they have together to try to make him feel good.

"Yeah, it was really cool."

"Good!" Jack gave himself a mental pat on the back for being able to make someone happy.

They heard the sounds of trumpets that seemed to come from every direction around them. Then shortly after, two horses came out from opposite sides of each other, with a fully armored knight on their back. They both held shields and were grasping long, cone shaped swords that they had pointed directly ahead of themselves.

They got into position, each one at an end of the long pole in the middle of the arena. Either one went on opposite sides of it, their horses pawing the ground in anticipation.

Then, a trumpet note was heard again. As soon as it reached the knights' ears, they charged forward, their lances drawn, each aiming for the chest of a knight.

Jack could hardly hold still in his seat. For a moment, all he could make out was the blurred figures quickly approaching each other. And then, after a sickening sound of a weapon hitting flesh, Jack saw the sprawling body of one of the knights suspended in the air, before a catapulted towards the ground and landed with a loud "BANG!"

The horse that he had been sitting on a second ago just stopped and stood where it was, nosing the ground for anything to eat. The victor of the two knights began to make rounds in front of the crowd, his lance held up into the sky in victory.

Everyone cheered and applauded for the champion, even some whistles were heard. Jack of course was whooping loudly because of the fact he had just experienced a real joust.

When the crowd settled down, a couple more jousts took place, each one with different knights and horses. As each one passed, they began to get a little more boring.

Clint yawned after seeing the seventh knight in a row get tossed off his horse. People were starting to depart, ready for new excitement.

He looked beside him to see Jack with his head propped up on his hand, looking intently at the next pair of knights.

"Hey Jack, what are looking at?" Clint couldn't help but be a little curious as to what Jack had noticed.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just studying how they are moving and what their doing wrong that makes them get hit." The boy replied, boredom obvious in his voice.

"Really? Well, I'm glad to see that you're finally using your observation skills for something." Clint began to tap his foot, looking around for something to do.

"Say, Jack, do you want to go somewhere else now?" This was met with a more lively expression.

"Yes please. It gets a little boring watching people get thrown into the air like dolls after a while." Jack said with some distaste. It seemed a _little_ better watching jousting in movies, where there isn't a replay of the same thing.

"I know what you mean." Clint replied, half his mind on the thought of how much more fun it is being the one to hit someone into the air than just watching it.

They both got up and retreated towards the exit.

The rest of the fair quickly got their attention. They went into little stores that sold clothing like jerkins and cloaks. They played games like toss the rings, hit the bottles (Which Clint won with a perfect score) and dunk for apples. Jack just wanted to do that one because it was starting to get hot out and the idea of being able to stick your head into a thing of water with a chance of winning something seemed too good to pass up.

And win things they did. They had enough stuffed animals to make a daycare full of toddlers satisfied. The stuffed animal that Jack definitely liked the most was a plush horse that was all black, except for a splash of white on its rump. It had deep brown eyes, just like hawk. It was also _super_ soft.

So after a full day of playing games, eating greasy food and lugging around plushies, they headed for the car.

As soon as he climbed in, Jack collapsed on the back seat in the midst of all the animals.

Clint got out of the front seat and went to the open side-door. He straightened Jack up into his seat and buckled him in. The boy absent-mindedly clutched onto Clint's arm with a whimper, before it closed the door.

Clint sighed. He started to look around for something to replace his arm in the kid's grasp. The appaloosa plushy caught his eye and he grabbed it. He then yanked free his arm and pushed the horse against Jack's chest, making him snuggle on to it instead.

Clint shut the door and went back to his position at the wheel. He drove the car out of the clearing and back on to the highway. He adjusted the rear-view mirror so he could see the slumbering form of his nephew.

_I sure am glad that he took all of that medieval stuff so well, because soon he's probably going to be constantly surrounded by it._

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**Well wasn't that a surprise! Who would've thought it would end up just being a medieval festival. And guess what, another cliffhanger! Well sort of, I think. **


	4. Chapter 4 Repeat

**Hello! I am so sorry for taking so long to post this, time just flew by me because of school (Stinking EOI's). Anyway, guess what, guess what, GUESS WHAT?! I've finally received a review! I'm going to EXPLODE from all the excitement! (Thank you MySistersSister). Please give me a sec while I try to calm down *Takes deep breathes.* Thank you, now proceed with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. **

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Jack woke up in his bed. He looked around, disoriented. The last thing he remembered was collapsing in Uncle Clint's car…

_I'm back. Clint probably dropped me off then left. He's most likely not going to be back for a couple of months. _Jack thought glumly to himself.

All of a sudden, he noticed that he was holding something. He saw the black appaloosa plushy that he was unconsciously hugging to his chest. He held it up and stared into its deep, amber eyes. At least now, he would have a friend to keep him company during his existence.

When he thought about it, his new friend deserved a name. Jack was never good when it came to names, most likely due to the fact that the only one he heard was his being shouted at him.

_I'll figure out one for you later, _he subconsciously said to the horse, making himself believe that it completely understood him.

He snuggled up to it and pulled up his blanket to keep both of them warm, there seemed to be a chill coming into his room.

He was tempted to just lie there in bed with the creature, but quickly decided against it. That _man _wouldn't like him to just sleep away, especially because he would have to smell the rotting odor of the leftover's from his dinner last night if something wasn't done about them. But, he never did the dishes anymore; it was the boy's job.

He got out from under the covers and stretched in a cat-like manner across it. Then Jack made the bed, which was really just straightening his pillow and blanket. He laid his new room-mate on the bed and started to head for the door.

He proceeded to the living room and his nose picked up a smell that was _very_ different from the ones from yesterday. He plugged his nose between two fingers and went into the small kitchen.

He cautiously made his way towards the sink. He was greeted by a sight that made him sick. There were a couple of plates that looked like they had some kind of green fungus growing on top of them.

_Rrrrright, I never did the dishes yesterday before I left. Woopsie._

He looked away from the moss invaded dishes and opened a drawer. Inside were about a dozen thread bare rags and towels. He took three of them out and went back towards the sink, his nose still plugged. He spread one of them on the counter next to the sink and placed another right next to it.

He slowly took his hand away from his nose, already feeling nauseous. He turned on the hot water. He poured some dish soap onto the last rag that he was still holding and quickly dived into the chore of cleaning the dishes, before he was able to make a smart retreat.

About an hour and a half later, Jack had dried the last dish and put in its cupboard. He looked over at the empty sink, thinking that it was a job well done.

A door creaked open to his left, and he watched as _he _stumbled out of his bedroom down the hall. His sand-colored hair was all over the place and stubble was on his jaw. His hazel eyes dazedly looked at Jack, who was standing motionless, watching him. He seemed dead on his feet, as if he had just gotten up from a sleepless night.

Jack had tensed up, unsure about what to do. He began to nervously shift from foot to foot, not knowing what could happen next and trying to prepare himself for anything.

When the man made it into the kitchen with what appeared to be a lot of difficulty by how focused he was each time he took a single step, he narrowed his eyes when they landed on the boy's.

"Y-you. You d-didn't do the dish-es last night, i-it reeked in here." His words sounded slurred, sleep was very heavy in each one of them. He was slightly swaying on his feet, but his eyes somehow still managed to stay directed on the boy.

"W-well, I-I did them now, there a-all clean and I p-put them away. S-see?" He pointed to the empty sink.

The man's eyes followed Jack's finger and looked at the sink. "F-fine, juts leave me a-alone, w-would ya." After that was said, he made his way towards the couch, walking in a fashion that reminded Jack of a zombie.

The man collapsed onto the couch, causing it to give under his weight with a load creak, than resume its normal position. He stuffed his head in-between the arm and the back. One arm was over the edge of it, just barely grazing the ground. The same was the case for the leg that was on that side.

After a few seconds, deep, rumbling snores were heard from the mass. Jack finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief that he hadn't completely known he was holding in. He survived the encounter, but it was mostly thanks to the nearly elusive zombie-monster of darkness being completely tuckered out.

He began to do his other chores which were: the laundry, garbage, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning both bedrooms and finally, emptying the fridge of everything that looked like it had been taken over by some kind of alien species.

Slowly he trudged towards the recliner and quietly curled up into a ball on it. He kept half an eye on the man, making sure every couple of seconds that he was still asleep.

His eyelids slowly drooped close, but he tried to will them to become open again. It was to no avail however, for after he accomplished the feat they only closed quicker the next time. It was a loosing battle, so what if he fell asleep? _He _looked like he would be knocked out for at least another couple of hours. Who knows? By the looks of it, it wouldn't be surprising if he slept through the entire day. Of course, he should probably consider such a thing to be a normal occurrence by now however.

Jack yawned, and finally surrendered himself to the comforting darkness. That is, until there was a knock at the door. He stiffly got up with an annoyed groan and tried to make his way to it quickly. He _really_ didn't want his father to wake up, no matter how slight the chance for it to happen.

He didn't even look through the peephole, too depressed that he couldn't take a nap in peace. He opened the door and looked out with half-closed eyes. Well, they were until he saw who it was.

"Uncle Clint?" Jack said. He thought to himself that he must have fallen asleep and was already dreaming of the next visit, which had to be it.

"Hey kid, did you miss me?" Clint said as he strode in.

"Uhhhh, I'm dreaming, right?"

"What are you talking about? Why would you think that?" He knelt down and with a strangely anxious expression, looked Jack in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm definitely dreaming." Man, this was probably one of the best dreams Jack had ever had. None of them had ever seemed this life-like before.

"Jack, you are not dreaming. I'm right here. If you want, I can hug you to prove it," Clint said as he stood up and opened his arms, a twisted smile contorting his face and making the previous odd emotion quickly disappear behind its mask.

_Okay, not dreaming, not dreaming._ Jack took a step back, putting his hands protectively in front of himself. His back was feeling sore just thinking about another one of Clint's hugs. This pretty much proved that he was in fact, not dreaming.

And then after reaching this conclusion, Jack was shocked. "Wait a minute, why are you here then? You just visited yesterday. Did you forget something?"

Jack was thrilled that he was seeing his uncle two days in a row, but it had to be due to something other than him.

After hearing his nephew, Clint knew the path that Jack was thinking on.

"Jack, I'm here to see you." The man said comfortingly.

The boy couldn't believe what he was hearing, someone wanting to see him _again?_ Even though they had already spent time with him the day before?

"W-why?" Jack replied, shocked.

"Because Jack, I'm going to take you somewhere where you'll be safe." Clint pulled Jack into a hug, this one a lot more comforting and a lot less suffocating then the one he had given him the day before.

Jack looked at Clint like he was crazy. He hadn't ever been somewhere else before, he hadn't even been to Uncle Clint's house. Then the idea came to him that his uncle's house might be the place.

"Where? Are we going to your house?" Jack said, excitement rising in his voice.

For some unknown reason, Clint gave a chuckle at this. "No, no, it's just a _little_ farther than that."

"What do you mean?" Jack was now very curious, but, somehow, he was also a little resistant at the idea of leaving.

Of course he wanted to leave this place, even a cardboard box in an alley sounded better to him in some ways. But at the same time, he sort of didn't. He had lived here his entire life, it was all he knew. To just get up and leave it all behind in one day?

Clint noticed the hint of resistance, and tried to quickly reassure the boy. "There's a friend of mine who's agreed to take care of you Jack. He's nice and he lives in a cabin, right beside a forest."

That sparked Jack's interest again. If he was a friend of his Uncle Clint, than he must be pretty amazing. And the idea of a cabin next to a forest sounded spectacular, it sounded like something out of a fairytale or movie.

"Really? When do we leave? How do we get there? Are we going to take your car or-

"Hold on, just give me a minute." Clint put up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions. He reached into his pocket and produced a small, metal object. It had a red knob near the bottom and a screen taking up most of the remainder of the space. It reminded Jack of Clint's iPhone.

"_This_ is what we're going to use to get there." Clint replied, with that glint in his eye once again being there.

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**Man, I really need to work on my ability to make longer chapters, that was just puny. Anyway, I've got a question to all of those people who are reading this: what should Jack's plush's name be? Keep in mind, he is a boy, so nothing to, well, girly. Please tell me! I've got no imagination, just like him, when it comes to names.**


	5. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**To all those people who are out there that have been checking this story for new updates for months, I am so sorry. I did not expect anybody to actually read and like this story. **

**The reason why I stopped updating was because when I had posted that last chapter that had a question at the bottom, I had expected to have at**_** least**_** gotten one response for it. But then after months of no responses, I got really down and just thought that nobody liked it.**

**But now I'm starting to get a couple of reviews, so I have decided to continue it! But that doesn't mean you should expect a new chapter tomorrow or anything. I haven't worked on this thing for months, so I'm going to have to reorient myself with it and come up with ideas. Got it?**


	6. Chapter 5 Journey

**Well, after all this time, here it is. The fifth chapter of the story. Thank you to all those people who after all this time still waited for me to continue the story. **

**Disclaimer: "Hello readers, I'm Clint Barton, the most amazing spy, archer and all around good-looking guy." **

** "_U-umm, Uncle C-Clint, don't fo-forget why w-we're here." _**

**_ "_Oh yeah, right, fireranger101 does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. Yeesh, that sure would be awful, think of everybody having to wait _this long_ for another book or movie, there'd probably be an uprising!"**

** "_L-let's just leave a-and let the nice p-people read the ch-chapter, okay?"_**

**_ "_That sounds like a good idea kid." Clint reaches down and places Jack on his shoulders, than walks away to find a drink.**

* * *

"We're using _that_ to get there?" Jack asked, confusion in his voice. Maybe his uncle had gotten sunburned or something from yesterday, and because now he sure seems like he's going crazy.

Clint simply said 'Yep,' his attention completely on the screen as he tapped it. Jack went to his side and looked at it. After Clint touched it, it seemed to have turned on. It was slightly glowing blue, and it had all these numbers and words on the screen that the little boy couldn't understand.

"If I were you, I'd start getting my things, so that we can leave before 'you know who' decides to wake up." Clint said, startling the kid from his position of looking at the device. Clint glanced up; the expression on his face was basically asking him why he was still standing there.

Without hesitation, Jack sprinted to his room, trying his best not to make any noise. He looked around, but the only thing he thought was worth bringing was his appaloosa. Besides, the only clothes he has are the ones that he's wearing right now. So he grabbed his plushy, slipped on his old sandals and made his way back to Uncle Clint's side, who was still doing something with the electronic.

He seemed he had finished, because he finally looked up and than down at his little nephew. "Is that all your bringing?" He said when he noticed that the only thing Jack had was his horse plush.

"Its, well, all I have." Jack said with his face downwards, but Clint could still see the slight redness in his cheeks.

Clint was first overcome with sadness, then guilt and then finally, with anger. He would not let his brother do this to his nephew any longer! He would take Jack far away from him and this place filled with nothing but bad memories, where his father could never hurt him ever again.

Reining his thoughts in back to the present, Clint knelt down and reassuringly said "Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's always a good idea to travel light anyway." He put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

Jack replied with a simple nod of his head. He than looked up and asked "So, when are we leaving? Wait, where are we going? _Is_ it your house? How are we _really_ getting there? Are we-

Clint sighed and put his hand on his face. _Again with the questions. He's just like Nick Fury, wanting all the information he can get! At least Fury doesn't have puppy-dog eyes, or he would have all the knowledge in the universe with a weapon like that._

"Alright, alright, settle down. If you keep asking questions at that speed, than there's no way I can possibly answer them."

Jack immediately snapped his mouth closed and looked at Clint with a sad, suffering look, widening his sparkling blues.

_No, no, no! There are those horrible puppy-dog eyes! Man, the kid's starring into my soul with those things!_

Jack always remembered his uncle telling him to use every one of his advantages, and his eyes were definitely one of the most dangerous in his arsenal. He only used them when they were completely necessary, and he had decided that this was one of those times.

"Okay, power them down. I'll talk, but we better make it quick." Clint said, raising both his hands in an attempt at surrendering. He than put one hand on his hip and the other on his chin. "Right now, not telling, no and with this device, not a joke."

After saying that, Clint proceeded to give his nephew a huge grin.

For a couple of seconds, Jack was thoroughly confused. But then when it had processed that Clint had just answered all of his questions in one sentence, he couldn't help but return the grin, which was coupled with a giggle.

"Now that I have answered all of your questions, how about we take off?" The man asked, gesturing to the device in his hand.

The boy didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply nodded, the grin gone on his face.

"Kay, come over here and hold on to me tightly," Clint said, gently pulling the boy up against him. Jack then grasped onto his uncle around his middle, looking up at him with an expression of determination mixed with fear. "Now, whatever you do, do NOT let go of me, understand?"

After he saw the subtle bob of the boy's head, he wrapped his free arm around him and hugged him closer. "Alright, then here we go."

He pushed the button on the screen, thankful that his high-rank of being an A-Class shield spy had allowed him to be able to access all those files about this device and to be able to use it without even director Fury knowing, because of his legendary ninja skills.

For a long, excruciating five seconds nothing happened. But then, all of a sudden, both of them were surrounded by green and blue streaks. At first there was only a couple. Soon though, they began to multiply and at the same time gain speed.

At that point, Jack couldn't see anything but green and blue swirling around him like a vicious tornado. So he buried his head into his uncle's shirt, closing his eyes tightly and trying to hold onto him even more.

A loud noise that somewhat resembled a ferocious, raging river was banging in their ears, it didn't let up whatsoever, it was constantly there.

Than, Jack felt as if he were floating, his stomach was twisting into knots. He couldn't bring himself to take his head away from his uncle, so he quietly refused to do anything until the noise and feeling was gone.

The archer had already done this a few times, but it was still a jarring experience. He probably couldn't even imagine what Jack must be feeling right now.

At that moment, the ribbons of color began to slow and the noise started to die-down. After Clint just blinked once, it was all over. Looking around, he saw the familiar forest and terrain. And then realizing that there was still a little kid clinging to him for dear life, he looked down.

"Hey, Jack, it's alright. You can let go now, we're here."

A muffled sound came from the boy, whose face was still deeply burrowed in fabric. Clint gave a short bark of laughter, and than gently pushed Jack away from himself.

Jack slowly opened his eyes, and removed his arms from his uncle's frame. After that, he looked around at his surroundings. And what he saw shocked him even more.

There, where his apartment living room had once been, was a large stretch of land. There was a forest stretching for what seemed to be miles, with tall pines and oaks whose leaves and needles lazily danced in the wind. A dirt rode curved and turned all over the place not too far from where they were standing.

And a ways down the road was a small village. You could here the talk of people and noises of animals, along with smell hints of bread and pastries that was carried from the wind over to them.

And in the distance, on top of a hill where it seemed to loom over the village like a stone guardian, was a large castle. It appeared to shine red in the light of the sun, making it look even more magical to Jack's eyes.

His gaze eventually drifted up to his uncle's face, pure awe and shock in every one of the kid's features.

Looking down at the boy with contained amusement, Clint said "Jack, welcome to Araluen."

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**Well, there it was! Please review and tell me what you thought of it, criticism is very welcome.**


	7. Chapter 6 Village

**I am so sorry that this took so long, but I seemed to have decided to restart this story at a bad time. My days are filled with schoolwork and assignments, so I've only been able to write about two or three sentences a day. I'll try my best to post chapters sooner, but no promises. **

**Disclaimer: A man in a green and grey mottled cloak mysteriously appears out of nowhere. "FireRanger101 does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers." He than vanishes from sight. **

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He couldn't believe this. He was in shock, just looking at the grass under his feet because he felt as if it shouldn't even be there! One moment he was standing in the apartment, and the next he was surrounded by sparkles and ended up here.

_Is this really just a dream?_ He asked himself for the second time that day.

Clint kneeled down to his height, and looked him in the eyes, his own sparkling in the sun.

"Lets start heading for my friend's house, it's a ways away from here. We might as well start now, okay?"

"Okay." The boy replied timidly, still unsure if this was real or not.

Clint stood up and shaded his eyes from the sun with a hand. "Alright, but first we need to go grab some horses over at that village. Its way too far to get there on foot."

He took Jack's hand and they began their trek to the town. They walked through the lush grass for awhile, and then began traveling on the road. A couple of people who looked to be wearing very strange clothes passed them, carrying bundles of grain on their shoulders or crates of vegetables.

When they finally made it, Jack sensed an air of coziness and friendliness about it. A nearby bakery had its doors wide open, inviting customers in with the smell of fresh-made bread and pastries. There were people bargaining for more suitable prices of food and live-stock at small booths, and children were playing in the street with a small dog.

"Come on Jack, over here." Clint motioned his nephew over to small building that had some wooden stables attached to its side.

The horses inside seemed to be worn and over worked. They had patches of hair that was missing, and the bones in there flanks were somewhat sticking out. In front of the stables was a man who was sitting on a stool, leaning on the wall behind him. His arms were crossed and a simple cap was covering his face.

Clint walked over and lightly kicked the bottom of the man's upturned foot. That caused him to jerk awake with a start, groggily looking around until his eyes found the man who was responsible.

"Hey, what did you do that for? I've been sitting here all day long, and than when I finally get some shuteye, you decide to just waltz up and kick me!" The now angered man accused, while he violently gestured around as he talked.

"Well, I'm sorry for startling your nap, but my nephew and I are in a bit of a hurry. We would like to purchase some of your horses." While he placed a hand on his chin, the archer added "But, seeing as you are on a break I suppose that we'll just have to go elsewhere. Come on Jack, on our way in I believe I saw some decent horses being sold over that way." He began to walk out, placing a hand on the confused boy's shoulder as he guided him back to the street.

The man's angered look now left as he took in what he had just been told. His face started to turn pink from embarrassment and he quickly got into business mode. "No, no! That is completely unnecessary; this heat is just giving me a bad temper is all. Come, come right this way!"

He rushed in front of the pair and than lead them back towards the horses, intent on getting some money. "Now then, what types of horses would you good gentlemen be needing? Some reliable pack carriers, or perhaps something more capable to travel quickly?"

"Well, how about those two over there?" Clint said while pointing to some near the back. He made his over, the boy right on his heels.

"An excellent choice, you have quite an eye for steeds!" The owner said with a very obviously forced smile upon his face. He began to lead the grey mare and brown gelding that Clint had pointed out over to them.

Jack slowly walked up to the grey, stroking her muzzle that was a few centimeters above his own head. Her old brown eyes were filled with the wisdom that comes from years of working and a quit gentleness.

He looked her over while his uncle and the owner bargained prices. He noticed that she seemed to calmly stand there while the gelding was prancing against his lead with impatience.

"Jack, are you gonna help me saddle them up?" He perked up the mention of his name, and eagerly bounded over to where Uncle Clint was holding a saddle. The leather was old and worn, it looked as if it was tired of having to keep together and was only barely trying to stay intact.

Clint showed him how to put it and a bridle on the mare, and when he was certain that the boy could do it on his own, he began to prepare the gelding.

When they were finished and Clint paid the man, they led the horses out of the stables by their bridles. They left the town boundaries and than he motioned for them to stop.

Clint went over to the mare's side and crouched down, than intertwined his fingers together. "Alright, I'll give you a leg up. But put down the toy for a minute so you can get on."

Jack placed the appaloosa that he had been carrying the whole time on the ground. He than placed his foot onto the make-shift stool and climbed up and over atop the horse.

The archer straightened up and quickly taught his nephew the basics to riding a horse. He handed him the plushy, which the boy tucked in-between his stomach and the pummel of the saddle. Than the archer went over and swung himself onto his own steed.

He slightly turned in his seat and looked at the boy with a smile. "You ready?"

Jack replied with an excited nod and grin. "Ready!"

"Than let's move out!" The phrase was accompanied with a flick of Clint's reins and the steady sound of hoof beats.

For the first few minutes, Jack sat stiffly in the saddle, trying to make sure he was doing everything completely right. Than after he was positive he was doing a good job, he relaxed and settled in to look at the landscape surrounding him.

On his right was open farmland, the farmers themselves working the land with beads of sweet rolling down their sunburned faces. To his left was a stone structure with an area in the back that was littered with young men and teens with swords and shields, he could hear the sounds of steel against steel coming from it. At the moment, the pair was heading back towards the direction of the forest that they had come from.

As Jack was looking at the forest, all of a sudden a figure clad in a green cloak seemed to magically materialize from the trees themselves. He was astride a black horse, which was shorter and stockier than the one he was on.

The boy nervously looked over to his uncle, both curious and frightened from what he had just observed.

But Clint wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, he looked at the figure with a grin and raised a hand in greeting.

"Ranger Halt! Fancy meeting you today, how have you been?"

Jack looked at the man perplexed. _Why did he draw that guy's attention to us? How does he even know him?_

When the now dubbed Ranger Halt came closer, the boy could make out some of his features. He had a beard that was gray but was peppered with black; the rest of his face was in shadows because of his deep, upturned hood. Jack also noticed with some fright a wicked long-bow strewn across his back, along with a quiver of arrows.

Ranger Halt flipped his hood back with a quick movement of his hand, revealing a pair of sharp, calculating eyes. A deep-set frown appeared to be plastered on his face, not even budging upwards at the site of someone he supposedly knew.

"Barton, what are you doing here?"

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**Hoped you liked it! Please review, I love comments.**


	8. Chapter 7 Road

**Yay! I've submitted a new chapter and it hasn't even been a month! What a milestone. Sorry if this chapter doesn't meet your expectations, but hopefully the next one will make up for it. I REALLY need to work on making longer chapters, but if I was being truthful to myself, I'm probably never going to achieve that. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Neighing, whinnies and snorts. (Translated: fireranger101 does not own Avengers or Ranger's Apprentice. Can I have my apple now?)**

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"Jack, this is Halt. He's a pretty good friend of mine, so be nice." Clint said to the boy, attempting to encourage the very un-socialized kid to try to open up to a fellow human being.

To answer the question that he was just asked, the archer replied in the ranger's direction "Well, I was just passing through here to get some supplies that I needed."

A short grunt of acknowledgement came from the grizzled man. "So, who's the boy that's with you? Was there actually a woman out there who wasn't appalled at the thought of marrying and having a child with you?"

_How could someone say something like that! How's Uncle Clint gonna react? _Jack thought wildly. He had to admit though, as the thought of being Clint's son popped into his head, it actually sounded quite nice.

"Ha-ha, very funny. No, this is my nephew that I've told you about. How about you introduce yourself?" The last sentence was directed at the boy, who was now wishing for himself to have the power to turn invisible, like Halt had done earlier by the trees.

He fidgeted slightly and tried to not make eye contact with either of the men, but failed when he glanced back at Halt's face, which he than immediately turned his eyes back to the ground, clutching at the reins in apprehension.

Sensing that the youngling wouldn't have the ability to talk, Halt decided to try to urge him to give some information about himself. _It's always good to know more about a person's life, so that I can bring up answers about them and their family with more ease._

"So, what is your name boy?"

This was met with a quick glimpse of those deep, emotion-filled blue eyes. "_J-Jack, sir_."

Clint gave Halt a half smile, a silent thanks inscribed on his face as he reached over and squeezed the kid's shoulder.

"Jack, eh? Tell me, how come I've never seen you with your uncle before now?"

"_W-well, I do-don't…" _He looked up to Clint, a look of complete helplessness in his eyes as he silently begged for help.

Seeing as he was needed, he decided to give a lending hand. He truly wanted his nephew to be able to open up to people, but he knew he wouldn't be able to break what years of solitude had done to him in a single day.

"I've been too busy to have the time to pick him up from his place; it's quite a way's away from where I live, so I haven't been able to take him with me until now."

"I see... Where exactly are you two headed for?"

"We're going to Norgate, to visit a certain young man." Clint answered, a strange tone in his voice.

Halt raised an eyebrow at this. Jack thought he saw a movement that looked to be him shrugging at the statement, but than thought to himself that he was just seeing things. The man than pushed his heels into his horse and was on his way to the village without even a glance at the two.

As they were about to get moving, he told them with his head still focused forward "If you would like to get there rather quickly, I suggest that you take the road that heads due south, then when you get to the fork turn right." After a moment, he added "That area isn't known for harboring bandits and robbers, so you shouldn't run into trouble. But, since I personally know you Barton, I know that you're probably going to go looking for it."

Clint gave a bark of laughter and than lightly kicked his steed, heading for the road that Halt had just directed him towards. Jack, as he quickly followed, was very confused. He didn't know if that man had meant that as a joke or as an insult. _What a very strange person._

As he came to his uncle's right, he asked in a hushed voice "_Clint, who was that guy?_"

He didn't know why he had asked in such a quit voice, but for some reason he thought that maybe that guy would still be able to hear him, even if he was already a couple yards away.

Clint noticed how Jack was whispering, and thought to himself that Halt could probably still be able to hear, the guy seemed to have inhuman senses.

"That was Halt, the ranger of Araluen. He's a very skilled bowman, marksman, tracker, strategist and many other things. So it's always best to stay on his good side." The archer said. His eyes brimmed with humor when he saw how his nephew tensed up at the last part.

Even if he was fearful of the man, Jack couldn't help but admire him and marvel at how much he was known for. He sounded like a real force to be reckoned with, even if on the outside he looked like a very grumpy old man.

They fell quit, both listening to the rhythmic clop of the horses' hooves against the packed dirt and the smell of the many plants swirling together into a sweet fragrance. They approached the fork in the road, and turned right just as they were instructed.

As he looked around at the forest and heard the cry of a bird overhead, a thought suddenly sprang to the boy's head. This was what he had sometimes dreamed about doing! He was actually riding a horse, and in the middle of a forest! Even if it was a path that actually went right through it. His face lit up with a wide smile, his eyes ablaze with joy. A patted the mare's neck a couple of times just to be absolutely, positively sure that she was there.

He looked up as his uncle began whistling a tune beside him. It was a very pleasant song, going along nicely with the sound of the wind and the chirping of the birds, creating a grand chorus of music as it all came together perfectly.

The boy's head swayed side to side to the music, and for maybe the first time in his life he was content.

When the afternoon slowly slipped away and the sun began to sink towards the earth, they decided to take a break.

Clint knew that because the boy had never ridden a horse before, even though he was a natural at it, he would become even more sore than necessary if they continued any longer.

So they stopped beside a small creek, refilling water skins that Clint had mysteriously already had with them and allowed the horses a well deserved drink and rest.

As Jack lay against a large tree trunk, his legs stretched out in front of him, Uncle Clint began to prepare dinner. He built a fire and started to make a simple stew with a small kettle he had in a bag that he had brought.

The scent was amazing, the boy's mouth was watering and he eagerly accepted the bowl he was given and said a very sincere thank you before he dug in.

Clint was less than a second behind, his appetite at the moment only second to what the Hulk's and Thor's were like constantly.

After they finished and helped themselves to seconds, the boy began to slowly drift to sleep against the trunk. He had a full belly, his beloved uncle was only a couple feet away from him, there were horses nearby and he was surrounded by tall trees. The best dream that he could have possibly had was reality.

Clint watched as his little nephew slipped into sleep. He silently took him away from the tree and laid him on the ground, placing a folded blanket under his head as a makeshift pillow. Than he wrapped him up in another one, and felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at being able to see that cute little face again, without the feelings of worry pang through him like he usually had at the thought of having to leave him with his father.

As he blissfully watched the sun set behind the soaring tops of the trees, he leaned back and prepared himself for a long night of guard duty.

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**Well there you go! By the way, I have a quick question. What do you guys think Gilan looks like? From what I can remember, the book never mentions his appearance besides him being taller than the average ranger and handsome. **


	9. Chapter 8 Destination

**Guess what? Its only been four days and I'm updating! I couldn't wait to make this chapter, so I started early and because of that it's longer than usual. But sadly, that also means there's a higher chance that I'll look over mistakes... By the way, I really wanted to thank the Guest that had reviewed. It really perked me up when I read it, so thank you. Hope you enjoy!**

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As the sun rose at the early hours of morning, Clint commenced with the task of packing up all the supplies that they had used. He took a swig from a water skin as he led the horses over to the stream so that they also could get a drink.

He secured the mare's reins around the pummel of the gelding's saddle. Than he proceeded to quietly maneuver the still sleeping boy into his arms, taking care to keep the blanket wrapped around his thin frame and the plush in his arms. He had been whining in his sleep in the middle of the night, so he had given it to him and Jack had instantly calmed. He hoisted himself up into the leather seat, placing his nephew in a position between the pummel and himself, supporting his back with a firm arm and holding the reins with the other.

With a swift press to the horse's side they were off, the mare a second behind. They rode quietly; Jack's breathing the only sound coming from the small group. After a good few hours of traveling through tree covered terrain, they came to well populated farmland. A few friendly folk that were out doing their morning chores waved and wished them a good morning, Clint's feedback a simple nod and smile.

They passed through a small village, compared to the town of Redmont it was only a cluster of buildings and shops. The man received a couple of curious glances because of the cargo that he was carrying while riding, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The archer was surprised at how long the boy was sleeping, half the day was already gone and he had also slept all of last night without waking. Perhaps, he thought to himself, it might be because he probably had to get up in the very early hours of the day and clean the apartment while complying with his father's every need until late at night.

So now when he doesn't have to worry, _and be able to relax because he is in his uncle's protective arms,_ the man thought to himself with contentment, he can finally makeup for all those hours of much needed trips to dreamland.

Thinking of the matter of sleep, he gave a huge yawn. He was used to all-nighter's, so that shift last night was nothing. That is, under normal circumstances. He had been forced into long missions at work to the point that he had started to drift off during briefings. Plus, when he did get a chance to sleep he would stay up thinking about his plan to save his nephew from his brother's evil clutches.

_At my job I have to deal with corrupted psychopaths, and I guess my family life is no different. The only real difference is that I have no backup to help me._

Pulling away from his thoughts, he noticed that Norgate was only a short distance away. He wondered if whether or not he should wake Jack, but quickly decided against it. It would be a good thing if he was well rested for what lay ahead of him.

After he rode up the side of a steep hill, the fief of Norgate and all its glory spread out before him.

It harbored a four-walled castle that looked to be very capable of withstanding attacks, with a sturdy tower placed at each of its corners. It was completely made out of gigantic boulders, which were projecting a sparkling grey gleam due to the overhead sun. At its front was a mighty wooden drawbridge, though there was no moat to be seen.

Clint did not go to the little town that was tucked next to the castle's front however; instead he made his way along the tree line of the dense forest that was located to the right of the road and a good mile away from the populated streets.

There in a small clearing, was a log cabin. It wasn't very significant, just a simple cottage with a thatched roof and a verandah that ran the length of one side of the house. Next to it was a stable that was big enough for two or three horses at best.

The archer dismounted very slowly, attempting with some difficulty to keep the boy in the saddle. When both of his feet were on firm ground, he twisted his arms around and carried him bridle style to the porch.

When he elevated the steps, he gingerly lowered Jack to the wooden planks and leaned him against a post with horse clutched to his chest. He swiftly strode to the door and softly knocked on it with a fist.

When no one answered after the third try, he became irritated. The man knew he was coming, so where was he?

_I travel for about two whole days, got only hours of sleep in months because I've been thinking about this and he isn't home?!_

He heard footsteps behind him, but could quickly deduce that it wasn't who he wanted. A distinct cough came from the owner of the footsteps, as if whoever it was thought that he hadn't noticed their presence. Well, any normal person probably wouldn't have.

He turned and looked at the person, pretending to have just noticed them instead of pulling a Stark and being all snarky about it. It was a young woman in her early twenties, her brown-blond hair in a braid that was frizzy and coming apart. She was carrying a woven basket of wild flowers, a white apron pulled over her purplish-blue dress.

"Excuse me sir, but the ranger is gone at the moment. The baron called him to the castle to discuss something." She stated. There was an aura of high spirit surrounding her, green eyes shining with self confidence.

Clint was a little taken aback at how she had told it to him, but than the information itself sunk in. A question formed in his head, and he quickly asked it to the girl.

"Thank you. But do you by chance know when he'll be back?"

The lady thought for a moment, a finger to her chin as her eyes looked up, and replied with her eyes back on him "He'll be back in around an hour or two."

The archer wasn't all too thrilled at the answer. He really didn't want to have to wait, he was loosing time.

He gave a displeased sigh, crossing his arms and thinking of possible courses of action.

_Maybe I can just ride there and see how much longer he's really gonna be there for, or just go into town and meet him as he's heading back here. _

As he was deliberating, the woman noticed the boy who was sleeping on the porch.

She gave an exclaimed cry, rushing forward to him without a moment's hesitation. She placed the basket beside her and started to check him over.

The archer was a bit amused at how she was reacting, but decided to help her to stop worrying and to stop all the crazy ideas that were most likely popping up in her head.

"He's fine, only tired from the journey."

She gave a sigh of relief at hearing that. But then she began to have concern again after hearing the explanation.

"Poor boy, he really does look exhausted." After looking at the slumbering form, she firmly stated "But a porch is no place for a child to sleep."

After that, she gracefully picked him up and strode towards the door.

"Be a gentleman, won't you?" she told Clint with quiet harshness. The way she had told it made it resemble a mother instructing her child that never really listens.

Quickly he opened the door for her, pressing himself against the wall so that she had as much room as possible. When she was in, he closed it and followed her into the bedroom that was the smaller of the two in the house.

She laid him down and took of his shoes and promptly handed them to the man before pulling the covers over Jack's form.

Both of them looked at the peaceful bundle, who was making the cutest little snoring sounds that either of them had ever heard.

To Clint's surprise, the girl brushed some of the golden hair away his face, cupping a cheek in her hand with a mother's gentleness as a smile of adoration danced on her face. Than, she leaned forward and softly kissed his forehead before stepping back next to the stunned archer.

_Some stranger just kissed my little baby!_

But what surprised him even more than the kiss was the reaction that Jack had to it. A smile appeared on his face, merely an upturn of the corners of his lips, but it was still a smile nevertheless. It was even stranger that he was still very obviously asleep, as his head turned to the side and the snoring continued.

Clint's previous feeling towards it was replaced with that of bittersweet. His nephew had never felt a mother's touch since that awful day, and he probably still wouldn't for perhaps the rest of his life.

The woman tugged on his shirt to get his attention and said in a whisper "_Let's let him be. We can wait in the living area until the ranger returns_."

With a nod in response, they retreated outside the room and Clint gingerly closed the door. Both sat at the small wooden table without a word.

"My name's Charity by the way," the woman extended her hand to the man across from her.

He grasped it gave it a soft shake. "Clint, and the kid's name is Jack."

Charity gave him a smile. "Jack, it really fits him."

Clint returned the smile at the statement. "His mother chose well."

At the mention of the boy's mother, her eyebrows drew together. "Where is his mother? I wouldn't ever think that a mother would let their child travel so young, and I haven't ever seen you two in these parts so your obviously outsiders."

The man gave a chuckle at this. "Actually, I was about to say the same thing to you. I've been here a couple of times and haven't seen you at well."

Charity's cheeks became red, embarrassed at having have made the wrong assumption about them. "I just arrived here about three months ago with my brother; home wasn't doing to good so we decided to try our luck elsewhere. I work at the inn at town and help out the ranger with meals and cleaning when I have the time."

Clint nodded, his prediction about her was spot on except for the part with her brother, and he thought that it would have been a husband. To help exterminate the awkwardness that was now in the air, he helped her out.

"I haven't come here for a few months, so it's no surprise that you haven't seen or heard about me." Remembering the question that she had asked earlier, he added "And Jack's mother is no longer with us, its something that I really don't want to talk about." The last part was to keep the obvious question of what happened from coming out of her mouth.

Silence dragged on for a good half hour after that, both not daring to say a word. Clint couldn't sit still for any longer though, so he stood with a grunt and a creak of gratitude from the chair.

"I'm going to go unsaddle the horses" he stated as he headed outside.

"I'll tidy up. This place is in shambles." Charity said with displeasure as she looked around the cabin that Clint thought looked perfectly clean. With a shrug, he stepped out onto the porch and took a big breath of the fresh air. When he exhaled he climbed down the steps and walked to the horses, which had grazing with their reins dragging on the ground.

He led them both to the empty stable. He took off their saddles and bridles than preceded to scrub them down with some brushes that he found in a bucket. Afterwards he shoveled some fresh hay from the pile into the stalls and gave each a bucketful of oats.

He went back into the house with his arms sore and sweat on his forehead, caused from the sun beating down on him mercilessly.

When he walked in, the place was literally sparkling. Charity was in the small kitchen, preparing what seemed to be dinner. The smell of roasting pork filled the cabin along with homemade bread that was in the oven.

When she noticed that she was no longer alone, she turned and smiled at the archer. "I decided to just go ahead and make some food after I finished cleaning, the ranger should be here in a few minutes and he's always starving."

Clint thought of something and a grin of humor emerged on his face. "Are you making some coffee to go along with it?"

After a moment of confusion for Clint's tone that went with the question, she got the joke and a bigger smile broke on her face. "I almost forgot, I should also put a jar of honey on the table to go with it."

After they exchanged some chuckles, she went back to work and the man walked up to help her with making the coffee.

Soon everything was cooked, the table set and the food sitting temptingly in the middle, seeming to almost verbally beg to be eaten so it wouldn't become cold.

They sat on the armchairs with a huff, not trusting themselves to be able to sit at the table. All of a sudden, they could hear the clop of hooves coming towards the cottage.

Clint waltzed to the door and opened it with an unnecessary amount of force. And there astride a bay horse was a figure in a cloak that was exactly the same to Halt's.

His hood was upturned so his face was cast in shadows, but it was quickly pulled back when he noticed the figure in his home's doorway.

He was clean-shaven with brown hair that was neatly combed away from his face and reached to his ears. He had a strong jaw-line and his light brown eyes twinkling, a gleeful smile on his face.

"Clint, sorry I wasn't here. I had some unexpected business with the baron."

The archer gave a sigh. No matter what, it seemed like he could never be angry at the guy. "Well it's about time you showed up Gilan, I've been waiting months for this."

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**Hoped you like it! I also hope that Gilan's description is somewhat what you think he would look like. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 9 Hospital

**Hello! I have already apologized so much lately that I won't even do it this time (I AM SO SORRY). To make up for not updating for so long, I present to you a super long chapter! But I warn you, it was really hard for me to write this, so beware.**

**Disclaimer: Hello, I'm Charity! FireRanger101, that horrible excuse for a cook does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. Thank goodness, or else everybody in both of them would probably always be eating microwaved ramen, the poor souls. Would you by chance like some fresh bread? I just made it this morning!**

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After she released him from her embrace, she took a step back towards the village. "I'll be going now, it seems you two have some things to talk about and I wouldn't want to get in the way of it. I've already made your dinner, its waiting for you on the table."

Gilan smiled hungrily, the prospect of food making his long empty stomach growl with anticipation. "Thank you Charity, I sincerely have no idea what I did to get you to do all this for me."

She smiled. "Your looks are reward enough," her eyes filled with amusement, "and if your friend there sticks around, I might just do double what I usually do."

Both men laughed, Charity giggling along with them. She waived farewell and headed towards the village through the swaying grass.

The pair quietly watched her go, making sure her trek wasn't met with any problems. When she was long gone and out of viewing range, Gilan turned to Clint and said "Can you just wait another minute? I just need to get Blaze settled down and fed."

Clint sighed with aggravation, but grudgingly said "Yeah, I'll wait. But if it takes you more than five I'll wring your neck."

Gilan cheerfully saluted to the archer and said "Yes sir" than led the horse towards the stables.

After exactly five minutes, he opened the door and walked to the table where Clint was residing. "You were _really_ close. Only a second away from loosing your head." The archer said it as if he was dead serious, but it didn't really work all to well because of the twinkle in his eyes.

"I was waiting outside the door until it had been five minutes on the dot." Gilan told him nonchalantly, taking a seat across from and loading his plate with food.

A simple "I know" came from Clint before he too helped himself to the tantalizing meal. The meal was amazing; it had been so long since Clint had a home cooked meal! The bread was light and puffy, the fresh churned butter melting right onto it. The meat was mouth watering, the rest of the feast made a perfect combination with the main platter.

By the time they were done gorging themselves, there was nearly only half of it left. Clint had felt slightly guilty eating before Jack had woken up, but it probably would have been very awkward for the boy to have to eat a meal with whom he considered a complete stranger.

After they cleared the table and deposited all the dishes in the basin for cleaning, they walked over and seated down on the comfy armchairs in the living room.

Clint bent over and placed his elbows on his knees, knotting his fingers together. A look of complete seriousness took over his face, all humor gone from its features.

"Alright Gilan, now we need to get down to business. You know how difficult this is going to be for me, so please try your best to _completely_ convince me that this is a good decision that I'm making."

As he was talking, the ranger had been stretching out his limbs and back, but when that last part had reached his ears he had straightened up immediately. When he observed the look of distress on his friend's face, which had never been present on it at anytime before that moment, the gravity of the situation came upon him and he tried his best to console Clint.

"Clint, from what you've told me about his situation this is definitely, beyond a doubt, the best thing for him. I know that it's probably going to be hard for you at first, but you can come over anytime and take him back, when you have the means to care fore him yourself. Until then, I will do everything in my power to provide him with what he needs most, someone who will treat him like what he really is, a little boy who needs someone to be there for him day and night."

Clint covered his face with his palms, his shoulders slumping. He began thinking through what he was about to practically force his nephew upon. He truly had no idea what Jack's reaction to this would be, he really hoped with all his heart that it would at least turn from being a negative one to something more positive over time.

With a heavy sigh, he stood up, his look now filled with determination and some willingness for what was to come when the boy awoke. "Alright, I'll leave right after he wakes up and when everything's in order."

With a gleeful smile the ranger rose as well and walked over to give his friend a pat on the back. "Now that's the spirit!" With a thought, he questioningly asked "Mind if I go take a look at him? I'm kinda curious about what he looks like after all you've told me about him."

"Just a peek. The kid's exhausted; I really don't want to wake him up if I can help it."

They made their way to the bedroom door and quietly opened it. Stealthily, they went to the bedside and looked at the sleeping face. Jack appeared to still be slumbering deeply, his chest rising and falling evenly. His mouth was cutely in the form of an "o" and his golden hair fluttered ever so slightly because of the exhales of air protruding from his mouth.

When Clint looked over at the ranger, he was a bit surprised to see how Gilan was looking at him. His eyes held wonderment and joy at seeing such a young face after having to see only that of rugged criminals and villains of the law. When he noticed the horse that the boy had clutched to his chest, mostly obscured from view due to the blanket, his smile widened considerably, just about reaching his eyes.

Clint motioned for him to get out, and after one last look at Jack he followed in his footsteps.

As soon as the bedroom door was closed, Gilan burst out saying "Your own brother is able to mistreat such an innocent child without a second thought how?!"

Clint collapsed on a chair and replied "After what had happened to his mother, I could only guess at first that he had blamed him. Now I know for sure that that is the reason why."

Gilan paced back and forth, his consistently happy off-duty mind thoroughly confused. "But if I remember correctly of what you had told me of the matter, she died because it was her choice. Can you please tell me again what had happened?"

Clint's face became noticeably full of sorrow at the prospect, so Gilan stopped his pacing and quickly added "If you are alright with it, if not I completely understand. I wouldn't like to bring up any bad memories."

"No, its fine. I should really try to let it go." He tried to mask his emotions under a straight face, but it wasn't working out. "It happened years ago, but because of how I'm trying to deal with it, it keeps on seeming like only yesterday. I need to get it off of my chest once and for all."

The ranger sat down across from him and patiently waited, silently egging him on with his understanding eyes focused on him.

Clint sighed and leaned forward, his own eyes downcast. "It was in the fall, on a very cold Friday."

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"Its going to be all right honey, the car's running and the hospital already knows that we're coming." Marcus nervously led his wife to the passenger seat, whose door had already been opened for her.

"Thank you sweetie," she told him breathlessly, one hand on her stomach and the other clutching tightly to her husband's so that she could maneuver herself into the seat. When she was in, he shut the door and rushed to the driver's seat, slamming his own closed. They drove away from the small apartment complex and towards the hospital, going at a speed that was at the brink of the allowed limit.

Immediately after pulling in to the closest available spot in the parking lot he forcibly opened his door and ran into the hospital, going straight to the desk and telling the flustered nurse that they had arrived.

In less than a minute a gurney was brought out next to the car, where Ellis was carefully laid down upon it and rolled into the building.

Marcus was told to wait in the lobby while she was sent to the Labor and Delivery unit. It was torture for the man, having to sit in the hard maroon cushioned chair, having only the bleach off-white walls to look at besides his tapping foot.

A few minutes passed by, but they seemed to be more like hours to the nervous wreck. After a thought, he mentally slapped himself for not calling to tell his brother the news.

_This is probably almost as important for him as it is for me!_ He thought as he hastily dialed his number. After only one ring he picked up.

"_Marcus, what are you calling me for?" _He sounded a bit on the annoyed side, as if he'd been having a rough day.

_Well however bad its been, its nothing compared to this!_

"Clint, listen, Ellis just went into labor. We're at the hospital right now."

"_WHAT!_"

Marcus had to move the phone away from his ear because of the volume of which Clint had yelled at him. Some of the people closer to him looked at him curiously, clearly being able to hear the person on the other end of the line. In a hushed tone he told him "Hey, mind lowering your voice a couple hundred levels, I'm kinda surrounded by other human beings."

In a _slightly _quieter voice his brother yelled "_Why hadn't you told me sooner?!"_

Annoyed, he replied "Well, I was kinda sort of taking care of my wife who was beginning to give birth, so I really didn't have the time to make a phone call. So with that all cleared up, can you get your behind over here? You know how much I hate hospitals. It smells like bleach and sickness over here."

"_Yeah, I know. I'm on my way." _

Before Clint hung up, Marcus was sure he heard him say '_uncle Clint to the rescue'_ under his breath.What a freak of nature.

With the adrenaline of what had occurred wearing thin, he stooped in the chair exhausted. He desperately needed someone with him, and the person he wanted most of all at that moment was his beloved wife. He should be by her side through this whole thing, but instead he was bound to an uncomfortable chair encompassed by insignificant strangers.

Around eight excruciating minutes later, his brother finally arrived, looking slightly anxious but for the most part composed. As soon as he saw his brother he strode over and sat directly across from him.

"What happened? How is she?" His eyes were begging for answers.

"This morning at breakfast she just started basically screaming and yelled 'he's coming' at me, so we drove up here. They haven't told me anything."

Seeing the uneasiness plaguing his brother, Clint reached over and grasped his knee. "Marcus, everything will be fine."

He gave a shaky sigh. "I know, but it's just so nerve racking."

Before Clint could attempt to console him any further, a nurse walked up to them. Right away they stood up and gave her their full attention.

"Which one of you is Mr. Marcus Barton?"

He took a step forward. "I am. Please tell me, how is she doing?"

The nurse's face remained emotionless, and instead of answering his question she said "Your wife has been requesting to see you. So if you would come with me, and who are you?"

She gave Clint an inquiring look, and he evenly replied "Family."

With a slightly raised eyebrow she turned and headed for the set of double doors. "Both of you follow me please."

With a shared glance at each other they walked in her wake. They were led through a maze of hallways, but Clint's training had kicked in right at the start so he had memorized their entire path.

Finally, they were halted in front of a single door. "She's right through here, please be as quick as possible. There is something very important that you two have to discuss."

Her eyes were fixed on Marcus's, and her expression seemed to be almost sad.

He gulped, not having the slightest clue of what that meant. Nonetheless, they walked into the room and saw a bed that was curtained off. They pulled the curtain back and were met with quite a sight.

Ellis was lying on the bed with her deep brown hair splayed out on the pillow, as fair as ever. There was an IV in her arm and her bulging belly was rising and falling in an uneven, rugged pattern.

Her eyes had been closed but had fluttered open at the sound of the curtain being dragged back, the blue orbs dancing with the light being produced from the overhead luminescent device.

In between labored breaths she happily said "My love, your finally you're here. And Clint, I'm so glad you've made it."

With a joyous smile Marcus sat in the chair at the side of the bed and took her hand in-between both of his own. "Ellis my dear, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired." Her head turned towards the ceiling, her eyes closing once more.

Nervously and with hesitation, Marco said "Ellis, the nurse said that there was something important that you had to tell me?"

She gave a heavy sigh and her face fell just a bit, but it was clear that she had been inevitably expecting it. "Yes, but first I need to talk with your brother for a moment, alright?"

Both had a look of surprise on their face at that. Reluctantly he said "Alright, I, guess that I'll just go wait outside then." And with that he stood, gently letting go of her hand. He gave his brother a look of suspicion and then walked out the door and closed it behind himself.

Clint walked closer and sat where his brother had a moment ago, intently waiting for Ellis to say something.

After a moment, she gave a rugged breath and than opened her eyes. "I should just go out and say it. Clint, I'm going to die."

The abruptness of the statement shocked him. The man couldn't respond at first. He had on a bewildered expression and his mouth was shut tightly. He looked down and said between clenched teeth "Why?"

She looked over at him sympathetically, "Because, if I don't than my little baby boy will."

He looked up, his eyes full of distress. "What do you mean?"

Even with what she had just told him, she gave him a small smile, albeit a mostly sad one. "I know that you don't really understand the medical area of someone giving birth, so I'll dumb it down for you. There's an issue, so either they deliver the baby which will most likely result in me dying, or they don't and he dies."

Clint couldn't say anything at first. He knew how much Ellis cared for her still unborn son, but he just couldn't believe that she was basically throwing her own life away for his own survival.

With a thought, he finally spoke up and asked "Why did you want to tell me first?"

She looked him dead in the eye and said "Because, I need to know that there will be someone who will look after him no matter what."

She had said it with such seriousness. "And why me?"

With a snort, she said "Well besides the fact that you're actually a secret agent who protects people on a daily basis, you're his uncle. And, the only person I trust to do it."

He felt as if he was on the verge of cracking. Here was his brother's wife, asking him to protect their son because she trusted him to do it more than his own father.

He couldn't believe when he heard her give a small laugh, it was obvious that it would tire her even further than necessary yet she still had. "My little boy is going to have his own personal superhero."

And with that, he almost completely broke down. He pressed his face into his hands and he bent into himself. He could feel the tears about to spill.

But than, he felt something. He looked up over his fingers and saw Ellis's delicate hand on his knee. Her face was a mix of sadness and joy. "Clint, I am so sorry that I am making you have to go through this."

He was stupefied. He was used to saving people, but here was this mother that was basically asking him to watch over her son like a guardian angel because she was going to sacrifice her life for his, while he could do nothing to save her. And now, she was apologizing for it.

With a jolt, he moved his hands away from his face and held her hand, grim determination taking over his entire being. "Ellis, I will do _everything _I can and beyond to protect him."

She lit up, and said "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Clint, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Behind them, a door opened.

Marcus's head peeked in and he asked "Can I come in?"

Clint looked at Ellis and she gave him a small, but firm nod of her head. "I need to speak with my husband now."

Shakily, he got up and walked straight to the door, not looking at his brother. When he got into the hallway he shut the door, and collapsed to the ground. He sat with his back to the wall, feet spread out in front of him.

After a minute, he could hear heart wrenching cries coming from the room. He probably looked completely emotionless compared to his poor brother, but truthfully he was sobbing even harder than Marcus was on the inside.

Both men then had to wait as the doctors and nurses rushed into the room as soon as Marcus had left it, restless to get the dreaded delivery over with. They sat on the one bench in the enclosed hallway, Clint just sitting and gazing at the wall while the other had his head in his hands and tears rolling down his face.

"Clint, when you were in there what did she tell you?"

He didn't respond whatsoever.

"Clint. What. Did. She. TELL. YOU."

Still he didn't move. But he did reply and said "What she was planning to do."

The archer knew that this was going to be harder for his brother than it would be for him. He looked next to him for the first time and saw the position his brother was acquiring. "Marcus, I know that this is going to be tough for you, but you know Ellis better than anyone. You know that she'll give anything to anyone, even if it's her own-

"Stop. Just stop."

Clint gave up. He just didn't feel up to try any harder. He simply laid back, let his eyelids close and tried to entirely wipe his mind of all thoughts.

Both jumped to their feet when screams of agony were heard coming from the room. They charged to the door and when Marcus tried to open it, they found it was locked shut. He started pounding with both hands, demanding that they let him in.

But his orders were ignored, and the screaming came to an abrupt end. They stood rigid, anxiety taking hold. Than a doctor opened the door, his face drained and huffing. "It's over. You can come in now." As he fully moved it aside, a nurse sped out of the room carrying a bundle of blankets.

They hastily went to her side. Her hair was slick with sweat and her forehead covered with perspiration. She was taking huge uneven breaths, a nurse beside her was telling her to try to breathe more slowly.

Panting, she said "Marcus, sweetie." She lifted her hand with difficulty towards him.

Instantly he gripped it. "We heard you screaming. Please, please tell me you're going to be fine!"

Wearily, she shook her head. "They say I probably only have minutes left Marcus."

Crestfallen, his shoulders and head drooped and he began to shake as he collapsed again into the chair.

After looking at her husband with guilt etched in her face, she tiredly turned to the heavy-hearted nurse and said "Please, let me see my son. Before I go, I want to see him."

She nodded her head and swept out of the room and down the hall, black hair waiving behind her.

Clint took the nurse's place and silently stood on her other side. The only noise was that of Marcus's hushed moans of grief and the beeping of the heart monitor, that was steadily becoming more of a flat line with its patient becoming more relaxed, only a couple of small anomalies disturbing it.

The nurse entered, carrying the bundle of blankets that the other one had with her when she had hastily left.

She slowly moved to the expectant woman, and carefully handed her the bundle. Than she stepped back and left, not wanting to be there to disturb the moment.

Slowly, Ellis pulled away a corner of the blanket, exposing a little face. He was sleeping peacefully, his eyes shut tight and his little mouth slightly agape. His skin was soft and pale, and surprisingly his head was adorned with delicate, silk-like golden blond hair.

Her once tired face seemed to have been brought back to life, and the twinkling in her eyes would have put an entire galaxy of stars to shame, her pink lips splitting into a smile of pure happiness. "Hi there, my little darling."

She looked up to both men, tears in the corners of her eyes. "He's perfect."

Clint leaned forward to look at the baby. As soon as he saw the face, his heartstrings were pulled and he was unconditionally in love him as well. "You're right, he is."

Impossibly she lit up even more at that, and looked to her husband intently. "Sweetie, what do you think of our little boy? Isn't he wonderful?"

Marcus merely glanced at him, than his head went back to the direction of the floor. "Yeah. Great." He forced out.

Her attitude dropped considerably, but perked back up when she looked back to her child.

With a thought, Clint asked her "So, what's the kid's name gonna be?"

Instantly she said "Jack." Her voice was filled with such admiration as she said the simple name.

She hugged the baby to her chest and looked down at his little face. "My little Jack Barton, the greatest little boy in the whole world."

Suddenly without warning, the heart monitor began to only make single beeps that were beginning to be far in-between.

Both men looked up at the device perplexed, and at that moment nurses and the doctor rushed in and began hastily checking the machinery.

Ellis returned the distressed and worried looks of her family with a smile, her face sad, yet it was obvious that she had already accepted her inevitable fate.

She squeezed her husband's hands that had been enclosed around her own throughout the entire ordeal, and looked at him with tired eyes. "Marcus, I love you. Please, always remember that."

A tear rolled down his face as he said "Not more than how much I love you."

She than turned to the archer who was close to tears himself and told him "Clint, please always watch over him, protect him."

With a firm nod of confirmation to reassure her, she finally turned too little Jack. "Jack, I am so sorry. I know that someday, we will be reunited as mother and son once again. Until than please know that I will no matter what, love you. Remember."

With a delicate smile on her lips, she leaned back and closed her eyes. The monitor became a flat line and a long, never to end beep was heard.

And the hand that her husband held became limp in his grasp.

Everything broke loose. Marcus loudly sobbed and grieved uncontrollably, the loss of his love cracking his heart into pieces. All the personal began checking her pulse, seeing if there was anyway to bring her back but already knowing that it was too late. The little baby began to cry loudly at the commotion occurring around him, to which Clint quickly surged forward and plucked him from Ellis's lifeless body. He held him close, all but charging into the hallway and shutting the door behind himself to try to drown out the noise. He rocked the little boy back and forth until he quieted.

Ever so gently, Clint hugged the boy to his chest and told him most sincerely "Jack, I will protect you no matter what it takes. And please know that from this moment on your Uncle Clint loves you from the bottom of his heart. Now and always."

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**Please review, they are the lifeblood of the story! Without them, I would still be curled away in a corner thinking of myself as a failure... Love you!**


	11. Chapter 10 Introductions

**Hello! I wasn't really able to work on this story for a bit because I had gone on a weekend retreat. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hi, it is a true pleasure to meet you. I'm Gilan, one of the best ranger's around. Soon to be one of the best caregiver's around. Anyway, FireRanger101 does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. **

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He was contemplating the story when he heard the sound of a door opening. He abruptly looked towards the small bedroom and saw a small figure pushing the door open. The boy looked to be still half asleep, rubbing his closed eye with a fist. His hair was all over the place, sticking up at gravity deifying angles.

He gave a huge yawn, taking a step out of the doorway and drowsily opening his eyes. When they landed on the man that was now smiling at him, they opened all the way and grew very large.

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Jack, with his sleep-laden mind had not noticed that he was in a house or even that he was in a real bed when he had woken up. He merely wondered where his uncle was so had left the room to search for him. But when he had taken a step out of the door he had noticed that there was stranger smiling and waving at him.

He just stared at him for a couple of seconds, completely still as if he was a deer caught in headlights. After he got over his initial shock, he became very nervous and scared, especially when he finally noticed that he was in a house that probably belonged to the stranger.

Timidly, he asked "Wh-where am I?"

Gilan saw the look of utter fear in the boy's eyes. Not that he could blame the poor kid; he was in a place that he had never been in before with nothing but a stranger.

_Hopefully I won't be a stranger to him for long. Better put the boy out of his misery and help him out._

He stood up and walked to the front door, opening it up and letting the sun and breeze greet the child. "He's right out here."

Thankful to know where Clint was, he dashed out the door, whispering a quick thanks to the man as he passed him.

_How cute!_

With an amused grin on his face, Gilan followed him out a lot more slowly and sat on the bench on the deck, knowing that his friend would probably have an easier time explaining to Jack what was happening if they were on their own. A thought popped into his head as he imagined what Clint would tell him and a slight frown came to his face.

_I sure do hope that he accepts me. I'd better make sure that I act more welcoming than creepy._

Jack looked around frantically, longing for the sight of his uncle. Finally, he spotted him leaning against a tree with a thoughtful expression on his face. He ran over to him, shouting his name as he did so.

At the sound of his name being called, he looked up and saw his nephew sprinting over to him with an elated expression. He smiled, knowing that the boy had probably been scared out of his mind waking up in the unfamiliar surroundings of the cabin.

He straightened up and made his way over. "Get a good sleep? You were out for hours."

Jack stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath. When asked the question, he thought for a second.

_I haven't felt this rested for a long time. I normally wake up early to clean and then fall asleep kinda late at night._

"Yeah, I feel great." When he looked around the area and his eyes rested on the cabin with the stranger occupying a bench on its porch, he then understood where he was. "So this is the place and that's your friend?"

"Yep, how do you like it?"

Jack looked around again and it looked absolutely incredible to him. All the trees, the wooden cabin and the view were amazing! It was the kind of place he had always hoped to go and live at.

That signature smile and sparkle in his eyes adorned his face once more. "It's awesome! Just like the places in the movies with the forests!"

Clint had now long forgotten his troubles and was now focused on the situation at hand. "I'm glad you think so. Hey, how 'bout we walk over there? I need to talk to you."

And with that he began walking towards the back of the cottage. Jack, now a bit curious followed. When they were behind the cabin, Clint stopped and faced his nephew. He was a little apprehensive to talk, not really knowing how to start the conversation that he had been dreading.

Jack saw how hesitant his uncle looked and got a bit anxious. "Uncle Clint, what did you want to tell me?"

_Man, now I think I'm making him get worried. I'd better just start trying to explain it best I can._

"Jack, look. I know how badly your dad has been treating you, and it has been going on for years. Your whole life in fact. So I decided to take matters into my own hands."

He bent down to one knee so that their eyes were level. "I asked my friend to look after you and to let you stay with him."

Jack was a bit puzzled when he heard that. But then he remembered what his uncle had told him before they had come here. _'There's a friend of mine who's agreed to take care of you Jack. He's nice and he lives in a cabin, right beside a forest.'_

At the time he had only really paid attention to the part about the cabin, not about his friend taking care of him. With a realization, he nervously said "But, you're staying with me, right?"

Clint gave a somber sigh and quietly murmured "No, I'm not." He looked down with guilt, not wanting to see the shocked expression on Jack's face.

"B-but I don't want to stay here a-alone!" His eyes were getting watery, tears right on the verge of spilling over.

Still not making eye-contact, Clint uttered "I'm sorry kid, but I can't," his voice was on the fringe of cracking, "my job won't le-

His talking was cut off when Jack bolted forward and embraced him around his neck, nuzzling his face into the crook of it.

The archer was stunned by the hug; he could feel the clothing where Jack's head was getting wet from his shed tears. His little, beloved nephew was now crying from the thought of having to be away from him.

_Great, I've made the poor kid cry!_

He hugged him back, clutching him tightly to his chest as if he could keep him with him forever if he did it hard enough.

But, he knew that no matter how tightly he held on to him that he would have to leave. And judging by the position of the sun, it would be soon. So he decided to try to console his nephew best he could while he still had the chance to make him feel better.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. No matter would I do, I don't think that I'll be able to take care of you, at least for the time being. I trust Gilan with my life and I know that he'll be able to protect you. Unlike me, he will always be there when you need him."

When he finished, they just stayed in that position for a few more minutes, holding on to each other for as long as they could. Then slowly, Jack's head peeked up, eyes and nose red from crying. "But I d-don't care if you're not always here. I know that you're protecting me e-even when you're gone."

Clint gave him a small smile. The boy didn't know how right he was. "I'm glad. So can you think that while staying here with Gilan, instead of at the apartment with your dad? And here, you won't even really need me to protect you since you'll have him with you."

Jack looked down, contemplating the truth to what his uncle had said. "I guess…" He was still uncertain of staying even after being reassured and thinking it over.

Seeing that he had made the boy more willing to stay, he decided that he had better introduce the ranger and his nephew to each other properly. "Good, how about you clean yourself up a bit so that you can meet my friend correctly?"

Jack nodded his head, and then started to wipe off his face with his sleeve. Clint grinned when he really noticed his rat's nest of hair. He tried pushing it down and then keeping it in place by combing it with his fingers.

He stood up and patted Jack's head. "Alright, let's go." He offered his hand which was gladly taken.

As they were walking back to the front, he heard a tiny giggle. He looked down at his nephew; he looked like he was thinking of something funny. "What is it?"

He looked up at him with a smile. "I was just thinking that it would have been funny if you had said 'let us go then' again."

Clint gave an irritated sigh. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

In turn Jack gleefully shook his head no.

_Well, at least his attitude's improved a whole lot than from what it was a few moments ago._

When they reached the porch, Gilan was no where to be seen. So they entered the house and saw him sitting in one of the armchairs, looking into the fireplace. He looked up at them and smiled when he saw the little boy holding onto Clint's hand.

When he was looked at, Jack instinctly edged behind his uncle, who in turn began to drag him over to Gilan who was now standing up.

He released the boy's grasp and replaced his hand instead on his shoulder to keep him in place, so he wouldn't shy away again. "Gilan, this is Jack. Jack, Gilan." He gestured to each person as he said their name and introduced them to the other.

Cheerfully Gilan strode forward and bent to one knee and purposely held out his left hand to the giddy boy, so that he wouldn't have to release his uncle's. "Hello Jack, it's a pleasure to meet you." The boy hesitantly took it.

"Well than, now that you know each other's name, how about you two say some things about yourselves?"

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**I have to say, it was pretty difficult figuring out how I wanted Jack and Gilan to meet. I hoped you liked it! **


	12. Chapter 11 Farewell

**Man, it has been forever since I have updated! By my calculations, about four months, heh, heh, hehhh... The reason for this is because I've really been having to think of the way that I want this story to go, because before I started it I hadn't really thought that I would get this far. So I've needed time to figure out things to write about before the ending, of which I have already planned out. Also, because my mind has been on another story that I've been thinking of whether or not to write. Well, enough with my blabbering, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. I'm Clint, blah, blah, blah, fireranger101 does not own Avengers or Ranger's Apprentice. I really don't get the point of this, it's not anyone actually reads these author's notes anymore, you make them so darn long!**

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They all sat around the fireplace. The air was becoming chilly with the sun slowly sinking, the moon now coming out to take its place, watching the now quiet world. The flames of the fire were warm and welcoming, beckoning them with its burning tongues to come closer and to warm their cold fingers.

Gilan started talking first, which was to be expected because of Jack's reluctance to speak at all.

"Well, where do I begin...? Ah yes! I am Gilan, the Ranger of the fief of Norgate. I am considered the best at moving unseen in the entire corps, and I was originally trained to be a knight by the legendary master McNeil. Because of that, not only am I able to use the usual weapons in a Ranger's arsenal such as the bow and double knife scabbard, but I am also able to expertly wield a sword with either hand."

The entire time he was talking about himself, he was standing and making different gestures, the gaze of the awestruck boy never leaving him.

_Wow! He's so awesome! No wonder Uncle Clint is friends with him, he seems like he's almost as cool of a person as him! But he's definitely only _almost_ as cool. _

When he stopped talking, he looked down at Jack, giving him an optimistic grin. "And you?"

With their attention now on him and expectation of him having to talk now looming around his figure, he felt like he wanted to disappear into the chair. "_W-well, I-I don't think th-that there is a-anything that's really that s-special about me."_

Clint was heartbroken and solemn at hearing that. He thought of Jack as being the best kid in the world, both the world that they had just left along with this one. It was sad hearing what his gifted nephew thought of himself.

_This is probably because of all the things that Gilan had just said about himself. It's making Jack think that there aren't any talents that he has that make him special compared to them. Well, guess I have to remind him of a few._

"You're kidding, right? You can hide behind a piece of furniture so quietly that you could stay there all day long and no one would notice you!" An expression of false anger was on his face as he said this.

Jack was stunned when he heard his uncle say this. "Really?"

_Sure, I can sit quietly for hours. But that's because I've learned that if I talk, I'll make _him _angry and annoyed somehow. _

"Of course. Sometimes when I visit, I don't even know if you're there or not because of how well you can be silent and stay hidden." Clint was really hoping that by saying this, he could get his nephew's self-confidence up a bit. If he could do that, then maybe he would be more willing to open up to Gilan as well.

"Oh? Well that's great! Maybe I can help you hone your skills later on in the woods."

Gilan was excited to hear that the boy had some skills that resembled a ranger's. Perhaps they could have some fun with each other like playing hiding games in the forest or something.

_Wonder if he knows any other things that could help get us closer to each other?_

Gilan sat down on the couch that the boy and his uncle were residing on, taking note of the small flinch Jack made at the closeness and scooted over a little bit to try to put him more at ease.

"So Jack, are there any other things that you're good at doing?"

_Other things? Well, I was pretty good at the bow when Uncle Clint had taken me to that archery range that one time._

"Well, I'm pr-pretty good at shooting."

"Great! We could do that too! By the time we're done, you'll be as good as your uncle, if not better!" He had a huge grin on his face, his back straight with excitement and his hands resting on his knees with only barely contained joy.

_Is he serious?_ Jack's mouth was opened wide at that statement. He was a bit stunned when the man had said that maybe they could try out his ability to hide outside, but he was expecting that he was just saying that to try to be nice. But when the topic of learning more about archery was brought up, he couldn't help but hope that this Gilan person wasn't lying.

Both Clint and Gilan were happy to see Jack showing some positive emotions about something.

_This lad is just like me and Clint when it comes to archery, _Gilan thought.

_Man, he's just like Gilan and I when it comes down to shooting the bow. Maybe he'll turn into a mini-me! _Clint thought.

After some small talk regarding Jack's strong suits and things that he could possibly get better at with some of Gilan's guidance, Clint decided that now was the time to do what he very much did not want to.

He slowly stood up, his hands on his hips. Trying to keep the apprehension out of his voice before he spoke, he said with a somewhat sad face while he distantly looked towards the fire "Well, it looks like it's about time for me to be going now."

Jack knew that his uncle would have to leave him after the discussion that they had earlier, but he hadn't known that it would be so soon. The time had passed so quickly with how much they had all talked about things that had really grasped his attention. To think, he wouldn't have his uncle there to show him all of the strange things that this place was bound to hold.

He sat there, unsure of what to do or say. Tears were at the corners of his eyes, but he had already cried so much earlier that he was too exhausted to do it again. So he just waited until the inevitable moment when he would hear the wooden door open and close behind him, with his hero leaving for who knows how long.

Instead of hearing that thump of the door however, he heard a small sniffle. He looked up and was surprised to see Clint holding his head in one of his hands, back slightly hunched and a defeated look over taking his whole form.

Gilan got up and patted his back, giving him some words of comfort. Then the ranger looked at the boy with an expression that told him _now you can truly see how much you mean to him, and how hard this is for him to do._

No one had ever showed such emotions towards Jack before. He never thought of himself as being loved enough to the point where someone would be sad to leave him. He knew how much his uncle meant to him, and it had always crossed his mind that Clint might feel the same way about him, but it was finally in that moment that he knew the answer to his thoughts.

He surged forward from his seat and hugged his uncle with all his strength, believing that by doing so that maybe the archer would still be able to feel the hug even after they were separated from each other.

Clint placed his arm around the blonde's neck, softly clutching him to his front. He removed his hand from his face and looked down at his nephew gently. Then he maneuvered his body while still holding on to the boy so that he was now in a comfortable kneeling position.

He looked into those blue orbs that held such innocence and compassion, and gently placed his forehead against the boy's. After a couple of minutes, he got up the will to speak. "I'll see you around kid. You had better still be in one piece or else I am going to beat up Gilan so badly, his relatives will feel it."

Said ranger gave a small chuckle at that, expecting to hear no less. "You really shouldn't worry Clint, Jack's in my capable hands."

"Hmp."

Leisurely Clint stood up with Jack in his arms, both still hugging the other. He made his way out the door and after one final squeeze, placed his nephew onto the wooden planks of the deck.

He walked down the steps of porch and headed towards the stalls at the side of the cabin, both the ranger and the boy right on his heels the whole way. He saddled up the gelding and then led it towards the beaten dirt path.

He turned and looked at the pair. Jack was looking at him sadly, his blond locks gently waving from the breeze that the cold night was producing. Gilan was right behind the boy, giving Clint a small, sad smile that told him that everything would be fine while he was gone.

He climbed atop the horse in one quick movement, slowly making his way further away from the little cabin in the woods.

"_I love you."_

He heard the quite words that Jack had spoken under his breath and stopped. He couldn't remember the last time someone had told him that they loved him. Especially his nephew. Actually, when he thought about it he didn't think that Jack had ever told him that.

He found it rather sad that he had to leave the boy right after being told such meaningful words from him. He could however tell that he wasn't supposed to hear them, with how they were spoken in an even quieter then usual voice. But, he couldn't just pretend that that the phrase had gone unnoticed.

So he turned around and looked once more into those beloved blue eyes, and said "I love you too, Jack."

Then he was off, riding away further into the darkness, the light of the moon showing the surprise, sadness and wonder that were on the boy's face as he watched the lone figure go.


	13. Chapter 12 First Day

**Hello all! I had a major writing streak this past week. Because of it, I've created what I believe to be my longest chapter yet! Seriously, this thing came to be around 9 pages long. I don't think that I've ever created something that long in my life. Anyway, just warning you, that because of the length I wasn't really able to completely look it over. So please mind the mistakes that I probably passed over accidently. **

**Disclaimer: fireranger101 does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. Who am I you may ask? Just a simple figment of her imagination. Want me to be more specific? Can't, that's classified information that _might_ be given on a later. But no promises. **

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For the rest of the night Jack was in a restless sleep, tossing and turning about every which way in the bed, which was now his for the remainder of the time that he would be staying there. He had dreams, which more resembled nightmares than anything else. They consisted mostly of his uncle leaving him. But in the dreams, instead of turning back and saying those words that had so very touched the boy's heart, he simply rode away at full speed, not even glancing behind at his nephew.

As strange as it sounded, that simple figment of his imagination hurt and scared him more than any monster or creature that he had seen while sleeping before. What made it scarier to him was that it could possibly happen one day. Such as what if his uncle no longer cared about him by the time he returned? He might feel unburdened while they were separated and then perhaps never come back to get him, and leave him here for the rest of his life!

But as he thought it over again and again in his head, he truly saw how ridiculous the notion was.

_This is Uncle Clint that I'm thinking about! There's no way that he would ever do something like that. Besides, the reason he brought me here in the first place was so that someone could watch me because he had stuff to do for his job. That shows how much he cares!_

As he thought about the whole concept of Clint caring about him, that scene he had witnessed in the living room before he had to go popped up. It was still so surreal to him that he seen his uncle showing those types of emotions. Clint had left him many times, and he had never acted like that before. _But, there is a difference. This time he might not come back for a long time. _

He didn't want to linger on that though. So with a sigh, he got up from the _very _comfortable bed and went towards a little table that was against the wall with a mirror hanging above it. On the table there was a small basin full of clear water, with a towel right beside it.

Jack cupped his hands and lowered them into the liquid, letting it wash over and cool the tips of fingers. Then he quickly raised it to his face and splashed the water up in a quick motion. He could feel it washing away all the griminess in his eyes that had come from his slumber, letting it further sink into his skin for a few seconds before he dried off the excess with the towel.

Curiously, he looked further around the room. He hadn't really gotten a chance to look at it because of the fact that most of the time that he had spent in it had consisted of sleeping. It wasn't overly furnished, which he was glad for. He liked that things were kept simple, it meant less to clean. All that there was in the little room was the unmade bed, the table with the bowl and a chest that was at the foot of the bed.

Now peeked with curisousity, he went over and opened the chest. Inside it contained different articles of clothing, including some brown wool pants, a couple of shirt-looking things that he recognized as tunics that varied in color and a short brown cloak. Beside the chest there was a pair of boots that looked like they would be a bit big on him, but it didn't really matter to him because it meant he would no longer have to wear the sandals that he had worn down years ago. They had started to give him blisters, but he never mentioned it because that would mean that he would basically be asking his uncle to use his own money to buy him a new pair.

He didn't really know who had put the clothes there. It had to be either Clint or Gilan, but at least he knew for certain that they were for him because of the super small size that they were.

After doing a quick sniff check, he promptly found out that he smelled putrid. Like not taking out the trash for a _week_ putrid. So he quickly changed into a pair of the wool pants and a tan-colored tunic. After some stumbling and hopping on one foot, he managed to get the boots on. There hadn't been any socks in the chest, but he didn't care whatsoever because the insides of the boots were super soft and clung to his feet quite comfortably.

He had never felt so refreshed before! Who would have known how good a new outfit would make you feel? He went to the window and drew the curtains to let the light of the sun fill the room. For the first time he perceived that there were no electric lights to be seen, it was just the window that would provide light unless he could get his hands on some candles or maybe even a lantern. From his observations of this 'new world' from when he had first arrived, he figured that there would be no electronics or other such things.

With a realization he thought _I sure hope that there's at least indoor plumbing here._ This was promptly followed by a shudder when the ideas of what he would have to do if the answer was 'no' entered his mind.

He hurriedly went over and made his bed, Taking care to carefully place the appaloosa on the pillow so that his friend would remain comfortable. Then he walked back up to the window, wondering what the view from it would look like. Looking out, separated only by a mere glass pane, he saw trees as far as his eyes could see. The light that was able to maneuver its way through the branches and leaves was what was brightening his room.

It was such a magnificent view that he just stood there gazing out over it for almost half an hour. Every once in awhile a creature would come across his line of sight, but he stayed so silent that none knew he was there watching them. So far he had seen a couple of rabbits, a deer with a fawn and even a wild turkey.

His gazing was cut short however when he a heard a low growl. What scared him most was that it seemed to have originated from inside the very room he was standing in. So ever so slowly, he turned around.

When at last he made a full turn, he was a little surprised to find nothing. But all of a sudden, he heard it again!

But, then he noticed something. It almost sounded like... It was coming from him?

_GYRRRRRyrrr…_

He looked down, and figured out that his stomach was the culprit for making the noise. After the realization, he felt about ready to smack himself for his stupidity.

_Scared of my own stomach. I am _such_ a brave hero. _

Now that he actually noticed the growling for what it was, he felt the pangs of hunger in his stomach. He was unsure of whether or not Gilan would be up at this time, so he was a little anxious to try to leave the room to get some food.

Trying to make up his mind of whether or not to go out, he crept towards the door and slowly put his hand on the knob. He felt just a bit queasy; he didn't know what to do. However, his need for food got the better of him so he timidly cracked the door open.

He peaked outside, not sure of whether he wanted to see Gilan up and awake or not. What he hadn't expected was for the smell of bacon to waft into the room through the small entrance that the crack provided. His mouth began to water and his stomach rumbled like a starved beast to the point where he couldn't take it anymore and quietly left the safety of the bedroom.

* * *

Gilan usually slept in quite a bit, especially on weekends, which today was. But Clint had filled him in on Jack's daily schedule. He had told him rather strongly that the boy woke up early. The way he had said it basically told the ranger that he would have to force his own butt out of bed sooner than what he thought of as normal.

_It wasn't really that hard to do though, considering that I was awake almost all night with the boy's nightmares bothering him _Gilan mused dismally. He had heard all the tossing and turning that had come from the boy's room, but hadn't exactly known what to do. He had contemplated going in and waking him up, but that would probably make things worse with them having just been introduced to each other. All that he could do now was try his best to make friends with Jack and then he would be able to comfort him with what he was going through.

Another thing that he had been told by the archer was that the meals Jack ate were mostly of leftovers that his father hadn't eaten, or had deemed unfit for himself to consume. So it was very rare that the boy got a real cooked meal and not just junk food. So Gilan had taken the liberty to prepare a breakfast worthy of being the first one that Jack would get to eat at his new temporary home.

_Sure sounds like he's hungry, with all that growling coming from his room. _He had known for awhile that Jack had been up and about since early in the morning. It was effortless for him to catch the rather clumsy noises that the blond was making, but he had to admit that they were a lot quieter than the noises that other people made.

_I can already tell that the boy's got potential to become a rang-_ Wait, what was he thinking? Sure, he had seen from the start that Jack had some skills, and with all that Clint told him he knew that he had even more of them up his sleeve. But he shouldn't be thinking about these kinds of things.

His uncle would never allow Gilan to put him into that kind of danger. Being a ranger's apprentice came with many risks, simply because you are a wearer of the recognized mottled cloak that they all wore. Besides, he was simply giving the boy a place to call home for awhile and someone that could take care of him.

From the start when Clint had asked him if he could take care of his beloved nephew he had been excited, but he was also a little hesitant. Yes, he could just ask to take some time off from being given missions, but if a problem were to arise within Norgate fief itself, then he wouldn't possibly not do something.

Yet when he saw how desperate his friend his friend was, he simply couldn't refuse. So here he was now, making breakfast with a genuine smile on his face after he regarded his decision, listening as he heard timid footsteps approach him from behind.

He turned his head and greeted the feeble boy. "Jack! Glad to see you up and about. How about some bacon and eggs to start the day?"

And with that he picked up a plate laden with the food and brought it over to the table, going back to get a plate for himself. In the corner of his eye with his back still turned, he watched Jack glance his way than move warily to the table and sit down.

Smirking, Gilan made his way back and sat down across from Jack. He was about to take a hearty bite when he stopped and saw that the boy hadn't yet made a move to eat. He lowered the forkful back down, confused.

"Hey, Jack? You know you can eat." To try to brighten up the lad he added "Don't worry, it isn't poisoned or uncooked or anything. Actually, I'm quite good of a cook if I do say so myself." A smile was on his face, but it softened when he didn't get a response.

After a couple of seconds the boy spoke up. Rather faintly he said "_Did you really cook this for me?"_

"Of course I cooked it for you. You're a person; you need food just like everyone else." Gilan looked at him, silently urging him to look up at him, which was answered. Jack looked up at him with an expression that could only be read as grateful, his eyes looking like they were getting watery.

"_Thank you."_

The ranger smiled, pleased that he had been able to make the boy feel like he was treated what he hoped was a person, like he ought to have been his whole life.

"Your welcome." He was starting to feel even more confident, so he decided to offer to do something with the lad. "You know, if you finish up your breakfast before it gets cold and goes to waste, maybe you and I could explore the forest a bit and I can show you some things."

Jack's posture perked up considerably, and in a flash he was scooping egg and bacon into his mouth as if it was the first food he had eaten in ages. With a chuckle, Gilan finished up his own food.

Gilan was ecstatic that he had produced such a response. It was getting to be pretty obvious that he and Jack had some things in common regarding what they liked.

He was a bit surprised to see Jack get up from the table and bring his dish to the sink, then wash it without being told to do so. Was he so excited to go that he wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to do anything before they left?

_But what boy in their right mind would wash dishes without being asked?_

Still a bit befuddled, he got up and washed his own dish as well. Gilan headed towards the front door to go out to the stables to get the horses their own breakfast.

He wasn't surprised when he heard the lad follow after him.

* * *

Jack had been very shocked when the man had cooked him breakfast as well, the weirdest part being that he had acted as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

What had shocked him even more however, was when Gilan had offered to take him into the forest to explore. He couldn't contain his enthusiasm enough and had chow downed his food as quick as he could so that maybe the event could happen sooner.

When the man had left to go outside, Jack was a little hesitant, but followed nonetheless. They ended up in front of the stables, and all the horses within nickered their greetings. He watched as Gilan took out the buckets that were inside of all of the stalls and set them down. Then he turned and beckoned him over.

Jack crept over. "Alright Jack, do you think you could help me?"

_That's weird. He's asking if I want to help him, and not just ordering me to do something instead._

Because of this he nodded his head without a thought, eager to help now that it was being asked of him.

"Here's what I need you to do. Take these buckets, and beside the porch there are some barrels of water. I need you to go over and fill up the buckets then bring them back over here."

Immediately Jack bent down and grabbed them, towing them over to where he was told the barrels were. When he got closer, he saw them and then he immediately began to dip the buckets deep into the water.

When all three buckets were full, he lugged two of them back to the stable then went back to get the last. When he was bringing the last one, he saw a girl strolling up to him with a cheerful smile directed at him.

He stopped in his tracks, not sure of why she was here. _Maybe she's Gilan's girlfriend or something? _

She gave him a small wave with her free hand, because the other was holding a wicker basket full of vibrant flowers. "Hello Jack! It's so good to see you this morning! How are you feeling?"

"_G-good." _He had never really spoken to a girl before. But, she seemed so nice that he felt less shy than usual.

A thoughtful expression came on her face, and she said almost in an apologetic way "Sorry, he hadn't really met last night. I'm Charity, I help Gilan clean the cabin and I usually do most of the cooking now." She extended her delicate hand to him, smiling at him once more.

With a small smile of his own, Jack took it and gave it shake. "Nice t-to meet you."

He got a bit confused when he thought about something, and quietly asked her about it. "Excuse me, b-but how do you know my n-name?"

"Well you see, I was here last night when you and your uncle had arrived. You were asleep at the time, so we never really met."

All the boy could manage was an "oh."

Then he remembered the task that he was given and started to head back to the stable with the last bucket. "Gilan's in the s-stables just to let you know."

"Thanks." She however made her way to the cabin's door instead. She looked behind and said "I'm just going to put the flowers inside then I'll head over there."

"K-kay."

He entered the stables and placed all of the buckets into their proper stalls. He didn't see Gilan anywhere, so he took a moment to look at what he supposed was his horse, or pony by the looks of it. Its body looked like Halt's, but instead of a deep black it had a bay coat with a white blaze going down its forehead. Also, it seemed a bit taller in the legs than the black one had.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

Hastily he turned around with a start, watching as Gilan strode forward and began to stroke the bay's muzzle. She in turn gave a content sigh.

"Her name's Blaze. She's one of the best ranger horses in the corps. But.., that's probably just my opinion."

After he said that Blaze in turn looked up with a somewhat hurt look, surprising Jack with how human it looked. It almost seemed as if she was saying _of course I'm one of the best. Everyone knows it, and it's not an opinion it's a fact. _

Jack gave a small laugh. Then shyly he moved forward when Gilan had taken a step back to stroke her as well. When he did, Blaze pressed her muzzle further against his hand as if tell him that she wouldn't hurt him.

Gilan smiled at the interaction. It looked as if Blaze was having an easier time connecting with the boy than he was. But he could tell that Jack was an animal person, so it didn't surprise him the slightest.

"Come on, you can help me with scooping out the grain for all of them."

Both went over to the large sack. By this time, Charity had walked over and was watching the two of them from the doorway with that ever-present smile on her face. In a voice that was so quiet that Gilan himself wouldn't be able to hear it, she said to herself "_Now he won't just have that horse of his to talk to. It's probably also a good thing for Jack to be with him, he looks so shy that it would be good for Gilan's childish attitude to help him to start acting like how boys his age should."_

When Blaze, the old mare and a pack horse that Gilan owned were al watered and fed, they all went back to the cabin to get something to drink. Charity had made up a pitcher of lemonade the day before and had it stored in the cold box so that it was satisfyingly cool.

Charity poured both of them a glass then she had to go to help her brother at the inn, where many of the villagers were having late breakfasts.

Gilan and Jack went out on the porch with their drinks so that they would be able to enjoy the beautiful day. There didn't seem to be a need for making conversation, they were both content to just watch the trees on grass blow in the wind while they sat on the bench.

Later Gilan had gone back into the cabin and then brought out a stack of papers. When he saw the curious look Jack gave them, he told him that they were reports about what was occurring in other fiefs.

Among the reports were reminders about different missions that were occurring, along with the outcomes of those that had been completed to keep all of them up to date on what was happening in other areas. Even if other rangers had nothing to do with the missions, they still liked to know the information because of the fact that all of them had a want for knowledge. It was a part of the title, after all.

He came across a paper that mentioned how the gathering of rangers would be coming soon in the next couple of months.

Gilan mentally smacked himself. _I had completely forgotten about the gathering. I had better ask Charity if she'll be able to watch Jack for me, because there is no possible way for me to get out of going to it. _

He heard a sigh and looked to left. Jack was sitting beside him, his head back and eyes closed. He had a blissful expression and the corners of his smile were slightly turned up.

_He's completely at home out here. _

After most of the papers were read or briefly glanced at, he decided that he had had enough. He remembered what he had told Jack that they might do later, and decided that now seemed like the perfect time to do it. "Hey Jack, how about we do some exploring now?"

The bliss left the boy's face and it was replaced by a look that basically was screaming excitement. "Really?"

"Yeah, let's just go saddle up the horses first. We might be gone for awhile, so how about I pack some lunch?"

Jack jumped to his feet and rapidly nodded his head. "Yeah! I'll go start putting the saddle on mine!"

Before Gilan had anytime to say anything else he was off, dashing towards the stables leaving upturned grass in his wake.

"Heh. I'd better hurry up and get ready while he still has that fiery enthusiasm."

After both horses were saddled up and Gilan had packed away some food for later, they made their way into the forest behind the cabin.

As they went, Gilan pointed out animal tracks and told Jack which animals they belonged to. While he did this it seemed to make the boy open up little by little, to the point where he began to point out tracks for himself and either ask what they were or try to guess what.

After some time of doing this, Gilan began to quiz Jack Whenever they came to another set. Most of the time he would answer correctly, but sometimes he would get mixed up. It took him quite a bit of time to finally be able to tell apart the tracks of a weasel and that of a mink.

After some time, they stopped by a creek for lunch. They unsaddled the horses to let them have a break from the weight. After they let them get some gulps of water, they settled down to eat their meal of cheese and bread.

To try to start up some small talk, Gilan said "You're doing really well. Have you by chance done this before?"

After a bit of thinking, Jack said "No. But Uncle Clint had given me a book about different animals. I could sort of tell how their feet would probably look by what it said they did." After saying this he went back to eating.

"Really?" Gilan was impressed. The boy certainly had some talents if he was able to figure out an animal's prints simply by reading about them.

They finished up and got the horses ready once again. Gilan looked at the old mare that Jack was riding and asked him what her name was.

"I don't know. Either she doesn't have one yet or the old owner forgot to tell us."

The ranger was a bit confused. By the sounds of it, Jack had only just gotten her. But when he thought about it, whenever Clint came by he wouldn't have a horse with him. Perhaps Jack lived farther away so he was forced to buy some to be able to bring him here.

"Well, are you going to name her then? She can't just have no name, that wouldn't be fair for her."

"Umm…" Jack considered the grey coat that she had and thought that he should apply it to a name so that it would suit her. "How about... Tempest?"

Gilan looked as though he was thinking the name over in his head, glancing at the mare and Jack every so often. He seemed to have just been doing it to try to create some expectation for whatever he would say. "Hmmm… Sounds perfect!"

Jack let out a sigh that he hadn't known he had been holding. He was feeling a bit accomplished for having come up with a name that Gilan approved of. Not that, it really mattered or anything...

They had made their way deep into the forest, and Gilan suggested that they head back. The sun was beginning to drop low in the sky. Its beams of light were starting to wane, casting deep shadows among the trees that appeared to come alive the darker it became.

As the shadows began to make Jack become scared, for it seemed that there were now hands made of the darkness itself reaching towards him, they broke through the tree line and were once again in the small clearing. The cabin was a very welcoming sight, and noted how there seemed to be smoke rising from the chimney.

_Someone started up a fire. Maybe it was that lady from earlier. What was her name again? _Jack mulled over what her name had been. The question was now dominating his mind, promising to not go away until he figured it out. _I think it started with a 'CH.' Umm, cheee, no that doesn't sound right. Cha, char.., Chara... Oh! Charity! _

Gilan led Blaze into her stall and started to rub her down, Jack quickly doing the same with Tempest. Both were eager to get something hot in their bellies, the only that they had had was lunch, which was now hours ago.

"Alright Jack, the horses are all ready for some shuteye. Let's go get some grub." He walked passed the boy towards the cabin, softly patting his shoulder. Strangely, there was no flinching that followed.


	14. Chapter 13 Goodnight

**There must be something wrong with me. I've gotten into the habit of posting like three new chapters and then going on hiatus for months. I really do have to cut that out. Anyway, sorry about that! I hope that this super fluffy chapter will make up for it somewhat! By the way, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It's because of you guys that I always come back and continue this story!**

**Disclaimer: FireRanger101 does not own Ranger's Apprentice or Avengers. However, she does own Jack so if you *PUNCH* N-never mind. She does _technically_ own him but *Arrow shot at head but missed by a hair* CLINT, CUT IT OUT! Yeesh, overprotective much...**

* * *

When they entered the cabin, there was a large pot of beef stew waiting for them at the table. After both had given the wondrous chef Charity many thanks, half being virtually non-existent in Jack's case, they sat down to the hearty meal.

There was some conversation, mostly of Charity and Gilan discussing some of the happenings of the fief. Some being of the training of the new apprentices in its military, which had gotten Jack's interest and attention, but then the conversation drifted to the year's produce production, which had then lost the boy's interest in their shared words.

Sure, it was still very welcoming to be able to simply hear the sound of other people's voices, ones that were talking to each other in a very friendly way with no yelling involved whatsoever, but the topic of fruits and vegetables was quite boring to listen to. So instead, he merely paid attention to the sounds of their voices instead for their company.

Gilan had tried a few times to get him to join in, such as bringing up the topic of how well he was able to distinguish animal prints, but after a couple of enthusiastic minutes he later went back to completely focusing on his food.

Jack was very bewildered about all of the emotions that were going through him that it was to the point where he couldn't even continue to talk to Gilan about all that they had done in the forest so that he could focus on identifying them. Such as, he was first feeling all nice inside since Charity had made them such a delicious dinner. He was also happy because of all of the events of the day, especially with Gilan and finding a name for the old mare. And now, because he was sitting at a table eating with two other people who had some types of feelings for him, even if he hadn't exactly figured out what they were yet.

But, there was a part of him that was also very sad. The reason for this being, of course, because of the fact that he wasn't able to share any of these experiences that he was having with his uncle. Who was now, probably, very far away.

Both Gilan and Charity stopped talking when they heard a quiet, dismal sigh from the youngest of the trio at the table. They had a pretty good assumption of what he was thinking about that had him becoming all gloomy compared to his previous quiet-animated demeanor.

"Hey um, Jack, how about you go start getting ready for bed while Charity and I clean up from dinner?"

Jack was instantly brought out of his sulking when he heard his name called. "But, don't you want me to help too?"

Because Charity hadn't seen his odd behavior towards always helping with what needed to be done from earlier in the day, she quickly became surprised at what he said while Gilan simply expected it.

"I think we'll be able to handle it, you just go get ready. However, thank you."

"Oh, well, okay…" Jack slowly got out of his chair and after putting his bowl and spoon in the sink, walked to his room befuddled.

They said they didn't need him to help them clean! He didn't know how to feel about that. He was a bit alleviated that he hadn't needed to do anything, but at the same time cleaning was one of the only things he did back home. It felt weird to not have to do it, even if it was only for this one night not doing it.

He got changed into a nightshirt that he had found in the chest and then proceeded to figure out what to do next. He would usually brush his teeth right now, but he didn't see anything that even remotely looks like a toothbrush. So to improvise, he swished some of the water in the basin around his mouth for a couple of minutes and then spat it out of the window. Even though they probably weren't nearly as clean as they should have been, he could still tell that what he had done cleaned them up enough so that it wouldn't bother him; compared to if he had just completely done nothing about it.

There wasn't anything else that he needed to do to get ready, so he decided to go back out into the larger area. However, it did take a minute of his usual hesitation until he finally did go out.

Charity was by the door, holding her now empty wicker basket. This morning, when she had entered the house she had put the flowers that she had with her into glass vases and put one in each of the two bedrooms on the small tables against the wall and then one large vase of them in the center of the dining table, saying how it helped to brighten the broody place up a bit.

She said farewell to the ranger, and then noticed the boy slowly making his way over behind him. She couldn't help but croon a little over how adorable he looked in the oversized shirt that he had put on. It looked as if it was swallowing him, the sleeves going to just above his elbows and the bottom going right below his knees. It was making him look even smaller then before, instantly making him an even cuter sight.

She couldn't stop herself from going over and not only saying goodbye, but kneeling down and giving him a hug.

Right away Jack had seized up at the contact, being how abrupt it was. However, after he had gotten over the shock of it he realized that it was actually, well, nice. It still felt weird, but the hug was a lot softer and more comfortable compared to his uncle's. While nothing could truly compare to his uncle Clint's hugs, especially considering how warm and reassuring they always were, this one didn't involve any crushing of Jack's bones or the blockage of his air supply.

Charity then released him, standing back up and making her way back to the door. "Are you sure that you don't want me to go with you back to the inn? This is the time when crooks are usually out and about. And seeing as how you are a beautiful young maiden, you may be quite a target." Gilan said, ever trying to be the knight in shining armor to damsels.

"No, thank you. I'm a capable girl; I think that I'll be able to handle myself if I come across anything while going down the path." And with one more wave of her delicate hand farewell, she left and Gilan closed the door behind her.

The ranger turned to the boy, also finding him to look quite adorable in his nightclothes. "Well then, I do believe that it is now your bedtime."

The boy didn't usually go to bed this early; judging by how dusk had just only ended it was probably around 9 or 10 at night. However, he was never one to argue so instead he just gave a meager nod and started to make his way back to the bedroom that he had only come out of a minute or two previously.

Gilan then remembered what Clint had said of the boy's sleeping schedule. Even if it was a good idea for him to try to get Jack to get some more sleep than he was used to, it might not be that good of one for him to make him go to sleep earlier than usual immediately. Besides, he had basically slept the entire day away yesterday so it wouldn't be surprising if he was actually pretty wide awake right now.

Quickly he took a step towards the boy before he got any further to the bedroom door and said "Hey, actually how about we both stay up a little longer." Hmp, what was something that they could do to keep them up for some time? Oh, now he had an idea! "I could make up some drinks and we could answer some questions about each other, does that sound good?"

Jack had turned towards him rather promptly when he heard Gilan take a step towards him. He was a bit apprehensive to do what the ranger wanted, but he had to admit that he was wide awake and it would be better than just laying in bed for hours bored out of his mind. So, he agreed with a quiet "ok."

He hesitantly made his way over to the armchairs, sitting in one of them while Gilan went into the kitchen.

When the ranger came back, he was holding two steaming mugs. Once again Jack couldn't believe the man and of how, what was the word he was looking for? He heard it before on a movie once… Oh, generous! Yes, Gilan seemed very generous, with everything that he had done for him today.

Gilan carefully gave the boy one of the mugs, making sure to tell him that it was hot and to hold on to it by the handle. He had of course made himself a cup of coffee with a lavish amount of honey, but thought that it wouldn't be the best of ideas to give someone as young as Jack such a drink. So instead, he had decided to make him something that would probably be much appreciated. Well, hopefully.

"I hope you like hot chocolate Jack! Just remember that you might want to blow on it before you take a sip."

_Hot chocolate? I've always wanted to try hot chocolate! I wonder if it tastes as good as I imagined it would! _Jack thought with glee. His uncle had promised that he would make sure to let him try it before, but it would always slip both of their minds so he had never been able too.

Cautiously, he gave it a small blow and then took a sip. Instantly, his taste buds were met with one of the most amazing flavors that they had ever experienced! It was very rich and had tons of taste to it, sweet yet not too much that it overpowered his tongue and took away from the overall relish that the beverage gave him.

He couldn't help but give an audible "mmmm," making the ranger chuckle in both amusement and satisfaction.

"From what I can tell, you seem to be enjoying it." He was responded to with a rapid nod and another sip of the hot chocolate.

The next minute was spent with the pair savoring their respective beverages, with nothing but the sounds of their "ahs" and "mmmms" along with the critters of the night being heard from outside, especially the chirping of the crickets and grasshoppers mixing together in harmony.

"So, Jack. Yesterday I heard of some of the things that you were good at, now if you don't mind I'd like to here some things that you like. You know, like foods, games, things like that." To try to make it easier for him, he added "I can start. Then we can just go back and forth between each other."

Jack carefully put the now half-empty mug on the side table, and gave a nod in response.

Gilan contemplated something simple to start of with. "Well, as you can probably tell I like coffee. What about you?"

_That's an easy question! _"Hot chocolate," Jack said with a small smile.

Gilan gave a small laugh. "I never would have guessed. I'll have to make sure to keep that in mind for next time Charity gets me supplies in the market, I have a feeling that we might run out of it rather quickly."

_Well, so far this is going rather nicely. What's something else? _"Hmm… Oh, my favorite food is probably my friend's somewhat famous stews."

Jack picked up on the pattern, and knew that he was expected to respond with what his favorite food was. Only problem was that he really didn't have one. He was thankful for whenever he got food, and didn't really ever have a preference for what kind he got.

There was one thing however and that whenever he got it he was always _very_ happy about it. So he said "W-well, I like cheese br-bread a lot."

Gilan had to admit, he loved that stuff A LOT too. He usually got it as a treat whenever he saw it down in the markets, so it wasn't very often that he had it. He bet that the lad had never tried Norgate cheese bread before, so he was going to be in for a treat when he got some. "Good choice, now I'm kinda in the mood for some. I better get some of it next time I see it for us to have."

Jack's eyes widened and his mouth couldn't help but start to water in anticipation of such a meal.

"Alright, let's move on before my stomach starts growling from all this talk of food. My favorite game is definitely hide &amp; go seek, forest style." Of course it was mostly because of how fun it was, but it was also partly due to how he seemed to never lose at the game whenever he used to play it when he was younger. Mind you, he did still play it time to time with other rangers, but he was the only one who would see it as being a game while the others viewed it as pranks and such.

This one was a bit tougher to answer back to. Jack had never really played any games before, not even with his uncle. And the ones he did were usually ones that he had made up to play with himself, like how quick could he clean up the house until the clock showed a certain time or things like that. And Jack had a feeling that those weren't what others would usually view as being a game.

"A-actually, I've n-never really pl-played any games b-before…"

_What!? A kid his age should be playing games like everyday! What does he _do _if he hasn't ever played any games before?_

"You haven't played any games before?" A shake of a head was his answer. Quickly, he came to a decision. "Well, that's about to change. I may be considered to be an adult, but I promise you that I'm going to teach you tons of games that I knew as a child. Mind you, they may not be ones that children would usually be found playing but they will certainly be fun nonetheless."

_He's going to play games with me? He's an adult but he is still willing to teach me games and not only that, but do them with me!? _

"Y-you really don't h-have to-

"Nonsense. I am going to make absolutely certain that you have the best time of your life while you are here in my care." Gilan had came to a decision that he would make sure that Jack would find out what it truly was like to be a child, and nothing was going to stop him from doing so.

He took a glimpse at the window, and looked through the slight crack between the drapes. It was now pitch black outside, signaling that it was probably time for them to really get some shut-eye.

"I think that it really is time for us to be getting off to bed now. That was a really nice talk however, I'm glad that we had it." He got up and brought his now long empty mug to the sink, promising himself that he would wash it in the morning. Jack had quickly followed suit, but took a moment to drain his mug completely of the chocolaty goodness before depositing it along the other in the sink.

Gilan had gone back over to the sitting area, picking up the candle that he had lit to provide light for the entirety of their talk. He watched as Jack sluggishly made his way to his bedroom, now completely worn out from the day's activities and from staying up. He gave a yawn and was about to go into his own bedroom, when he heard a quiet 'goodnight.'

Jack didn't know what made him do it, but for some reason before he went into his room he almost subconsciously said goodnight to Gilan. He was about to quicken his pace, mostly from embarrassment from what he had done when much to his surprise, he heard "Goodnight Jack, see you in the morning."

He turned around and saw Gilan, and how the light of the candle that he was holding was giving his face an eerie glow and making shadows contort around him. He had a small smile, as if he could never not have one present. Silently, he continued to make his way back to his own room but not before blowing the candle out first, leaving a slightly confused and befuddled boy in the dark.

Jack made his way under the soft covers of his bed, clutching his appaloosa to his chest. And that night, instead of a fitful sleep with nightmares of farewells, he dreamed of games of hide &amp; seek behind trees along with a green-cloaked figure, which seemed to always have a smile on his face.

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**Hope you liked it! **


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